Linked in Life and Love
by l OmegaInfinity l
Summary: A single intimate night together... and it lead to so much more. Follow as Team RWBY dive into a relationship none of them could have imagined, trying to make sense of their new situation, as well as deal with the reactions of the people around them. All the while facing White Fang drama, family secrets, and most devastating of all: homework. Pollination, with no Enabler.
1. Act I: Chapter 1: Warmth

**A/n: Well, I hit a writer's block with all my other stories. So why not start a new one?**

* * *

 **Linked in Life and Love**

 **Act I: From Life to Love**

 **Chapter 1: Warmth**

Blake squinted her eyes against the sudden onslaught of light. She flung her arm over her face, trying to chase away the evil glare that had woken her so suddenly. Her cat ear flicked as a small breeze passed over it, the instinctive motion sending a sudden shot of pain.

 _Oh, Dust, my head,_ She thought through the dull ache in her skull. She moved her arm back down, grimacing as she did. _Uh… why am I so sore…?_

Her ear flicked again as another breeze drifted passed. She blinked blearily, the blurry image of Yang's bunk above her slowly coming into focus. She turned her head to the side, regretting it instantly as the unforgiving morning sun blazed at her from the window. She threw up her hand to protect her eyes.

 _What… what happened last night?_

She tried to dredge up memories of the previous day, her pounding head not helping matters. Another breeze made her ear flick again, much to her annoyance.

 _Okay… it was the last day of classes for the week. Yang suggested we do something fun in Vale… bright lights… a carnival?... no, an arcade. Ruby made me play that dancing game… Weiss kept losing at skeeball… got flustered._ Her lips curled up at the thought of the Ice Queen, red-faced and flustered at failing at a 'children's game.' _Yang tried the punching machine…_ broke _the punching machine… argued with the owner… got us thrown out... then… then…_

Blake frowned, her mind getting foggier as she digs further into the night. Her ear flicked again, at another breeze.

 _Went back to our room… still early… Ruby suggested… movie night? Some… action flick… Yang's choice… Dumb, but fun. Then…_

Another breeze, another flick of the ear.

 _Then… it got… warm?... Uncomfortable?_

Breeze. Flick.

 _I was… scared? Couldn't find…_

Breeze. Flick.

 _Velvet… Infirmary? Lockdown… burning…_

Breeze. Flick.

 _Ruby… Yang… Weiss… tears… lips…_

Breeze. Fli-

… _soft… hands…_

Breeze. Flick. Flick, flick, flick, flick.

Blake's eyes shot open.

 _Breeze?_

She looked at the window. It was shut.

 _...not… a breeze?..._

Very slowly, Blake turned her head around, her amber eyes shut tight, as if not seeing the source of the 'breeze' would make it disappear.

She felt air against her forehead.

With all the willpower she could muster, Blake cracked a single eye just a sliver open.

A sea of yellow took up her vision.

With growing dread, Blake opened her eyes fully.

Yang Xiao-Long lay beside her, one arm folded behind her as a makeshift pillow. Her head tilted towards Blake, the unkempt mane that was her hair splayed out in all directions. Every breath of her silent snoring sent small puffs of air ghosting into Blake's hair, making her ears twitch, before she quickly folded them down against her head.

 _Yang? But… why is she in my bed? And why…?_

As Blake's eyes drifted down Yang's body, her train of thought came to a screeching halt.

The first thing that caught her attention was the complete lack of the loose orange tank-top Yang always wore to bed.

The second was the head of white hair laying of her uncovered chest.

Weiss Schnee, heiress to the most powerful Dust company on the planet, was fast asleep, snoring softly with a content smile on her face, as if brawler beneath her was the most comfortable pillow in the world. And judging from her bare shoulders, she was in the same state of dress, or lack thereof, as the blonde.

 _Weiss?! But… she… and Yang… in my bed! But… why… how…?_

The cat- Faunus' heart sped up as reality came crashing down on her, the pieces quickly completing a puzzle she really didn't want to solve. But it wasn't until she started taking deep, anxiety filled breaths that the final damning piece clicked into place…

 _Why is it so hard to breathe?_

Swallowing her dread, Blake hesitantly looked down, already knowing what she'd see:

A head of black hair, the tips dyed red, resting on her bare chest.

And as the final nail in the coffin, she could see, as well as _feel_ , that neither of them had a speck of clothing on.

Blake took a full minute to take in her three nude teammates, all crammed together on her little double bed.

For a final confirmation, Blake took a small sniff of the air.

…

Yep.

…

 _WHAT THE HELL!?_

* * *

 **The Previous Night…**

"Oh, Dust, is this for real?" Yang wheezed out between laughs.

Blake pressed her knuckles against her lips, trying to keep from bursting out laughing. Things had started out simply enough, Team RWBY, changed into their sleep ware, were sitting on Weiss' bed as her scroll projected a movie against the far wall. Blake sat against the wall, Yang at her side. Weiss sat at the edge of the bed, while Ruby lay on her stomach beside her, chin propped up on her folded arms. It looked to be a rather normal end to a good day.

But as soon as Yang's choice of movie started playing, all four girls had alternated between eye-rolling, groaning, or just outright laughing at the testosterone fueled explosion-fest before them.

To be fair, to the average person, it was probably an okay, if silly, representation of what the world of Hunters was like. But to four Huntresses-in-training, whofought actual Grimm on a regular basis?

It was outright ludicrous.

"C'mon, Yang. _*chk*"_ Ruby said through tight-pressed lips, snorts of laughter escaping every few words. "It's not _*chk*_ that bad."

Yang laughed out loud. "Ruby, he just drove a car out of a plane, bounced it off the back of a _Nevermore,_ then drove it into _another_ plane…"

"While on fire." Blake added.

"While on fire!" Yang echoed, descending back into laughter.

"Where do they come up with this stuff?" Weiss mumbled, trying so, _so_ hard to keep a straight face, and failing miserably.

Blake smiled, and not just from the color commentary her team was providing. Hard to believe that only a year ago she'd been running from both White Fang and the authorities, trying desperately to scrape up the money for Beacon's entrance fee. Now she looked around, and she had true friends, people who stood by her…

"Oh, I call bullcrap! Fire doesn't work that way!"

...dysfunctional though they may be.

"No, no, I'm sorry lady. You can't outrun an explosion. You're freaking dead."

"I can." Ruby said, looking back.

"Yeah, _you_ can, Little Sis. I don't see any rose petals behind Miss bandanna-head here."

Blake let out a small laugh at the sister's' antics. Judging from her shaking shoulders, Weiss was about to lose it.

After a few more minutes of gunshots, explosions, and poorly written one-liners, Yang suddenly clutched her stomach, doubling over from laughter. " _*hahaha*_ I can't… I just, I just can't... _*hahaha*_ " She was laughing so hard that she fell over, landing in Blake's lap.

Blake rolled her eyes. Yang had exactly no respect for personal space, a trait she shared with her sister. After so long keeping to herself, it had taken Blake a while to get used to the sudden hugs and shoulder-punches the two continually subjected her too, but she was starting to reach the point where she accepted them as commonplace.

A sudden burst of heat went across Blake's skin, rather low, but noticeable. Blake ignored it, chalking it up to the blonde's higher than normal temperature. After a few seconds, though, she noticed the heat increasing steadily. She frowned, looking down to see if Yang's semblance might be to blame, but no, there was no yellow glow. Just a mass of blonde hair, drifting and ghosting across her skin, tickling her thighs like tiny strands of silk, Yang's cool cheek against her leg…

Wait… cool? Yang was never 'cool.' She was always very warm, much more then normal. She always felt like she'd been in the sun all day. So why…

Blake froze as the blonde kept laughing, her cool breath blowing across her bare legs.

 _No, oh no, is that tonight?_ Blake quickly counted the days, ignoring the scorching feeling across her skin. She cursed mentally. _Damn, it is! Okay, no big problem, Just got to get to my bag._

The movie stretched on for an agonizing ten minutes, Yang's head staying in Blake's lap, as she couldn't stop laughing as the cheesy action got worse and worse as the seconds ticked by. Blake tried to ignore her, and the feelings that she was suddenly aware of, praying that no one would notice her sudden stiff posture.

 _Finally_ , after a few parting one-liners, the screen faded to black as the credits roll. "Okay, I think that's all the stupidity I can handle for one night." Weiss said as she clicked her scroll off, a sharp smirk betraying her attempt at decorum.

"Oh, admit it, Snow Queen." Yang said as she sat up ( _thank Dust!_ ), rubbing tears from her eyes. "You were enjoying yourself."

Weiss let out a huff as she stood up from the bed. "The fact that I found the movie hilariously moronic does not change the fact that it was still _moronic_."

"Exactly! The best kind of bad movie is when it's so bad it's good!" Yang said proudly as she got up, stretching her arms as she did so."

"I still don't think it was _that_ terrible." Ruby mumbled as she pulled herself up.

"Ruby, there was giant robot snake that shot lasers from it's tail!"

"...I thought that was kinda cool…" She grumbled as she climbed up to her bunk, ropes creaking ominously as she did.

As her teammates continued to bicker and joke, Blake made her move. Moving quickly while her team was distracted, she made it to her bunk and grabbed her bag from its hook on the wall. She started rifling through it, looking, searching…

 _Come on… where is it…?_ She thought desperately, feeling warmer by the second. _Where… a-ha!_ Relief flooded through her as she found the tiny orange bottle at the bottom of her bag. She gave it a little shake.

…

She shook it harder.

…

Blake stared down at the silent bottle with wide eyes.

 _E-Empty!? H-How can it be empty!? I refilled it just last-_

She looked up in horror.

Last month. When her friends found out she was a Faunus. When she disappeared for almost a week hiding from them. When she spent so much time worrying about her team and the White Fang…

She forgot to get a refill.

Blake stared at the empty bottle, cold dread filling her just as equally as the uncomfortable warmth.

 _This is bad, this is very, very bad, I can't- No! No, no, just calm down and think. Okay, I'm empty but… but maybe some other Faunus on campus would let me borrow some of there's, just this once. Maybe… Velvet! Yeah, Velvet's nice, she'd understand… wait, no, her team's away on a mission. Damn! Um… Oh, Sun! Eh… That'd be… awkward, but I know he'd help, except… I don't know where his room is… Ugh! Maybe… the infirmary? I'm sure they'd have some, but I doubt the faculty would just give me some…_

"Blake? You okay?"

Blake flinched, dropping the bottle back into her bag. She turned to see Yang right next to her, looking concerned.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine, Yang. Why do you ask?" Blake replied, willing herself not to stutter.

"Well, you've been staring into your bag for five minutes. What, did someone steal your wallet?"

"No, I-" Blake could practically hear the lightbulb go off in her head. She plastered on as convincing a smile as she could muster as she spoke. "Actually... yeah! I think I left it back in the cafeteria! I'm just going to run down and grab it real quick." Blake moved to the door before Yang could respond, and pulled on the handle.

It didn't budge.

"What?" She tried it again, to no effect. She jerked panicky back and forth, to no avail.

She turned around, finding her whole team staring at her. Ignoring her reddening cheeks, she asked, "Did one of you lock the door?"

Yang and Ruby shook their heads, confused. Weiss took a step towards the door, scroll open. Blake took a step away out of her way, leaning back so as not to brush up against her. Weiss glanced at her out the corner of the eye, before waving her scroll over the door lock.

 _*Be-beep*_ A deep note came from the scroll, the word "REJECTED" flashing across the screen in big red letters.

Weiss stared at the screen, incredulously. "Rejected!? Why on Remnant-?"

 _*De-Dum*_ A video suddenly opened itself on Weiss' scroll. The image of Glynda Goodwitch appeared, looking stern as always. "Attention students. Due to a security threat on school grounds, we are placing Beacon Academy on lockdown. All students are not to leave their dorm rooms for the remainder of the night. Any students currently outside theirrooms are to make their way to the nearest public location, such as the cafeteria or training room. Have your ID's ready if you are in this situation. You will be informed when lockdown has been lifted. That is all."

Team RWBY stared at Weiss' scroll, confused and, in a certain Faunus' case, terrified.

"Lockdown?" Weiss muttered.

"So, what, they locked us in our room?" Yang asked. "Can they even do that?"

"Apparently. What do you think's going on?" Ruby wondered.

As her teammates talked, Blake felt the world fall on her shoulders. She felt her insides ice over, an iceberg on a boiling sea.

 _I'm… locked in? No way to… stop it?_

Blake looked around the room, at each of her teammates as they spoke. Ruby was hanging off her bunk animatedly stating her theory for the lockdown, obviously influenced by the film they'd just seen, Yang laughing at her ideas as Weiss shook her head in exasperation.

Blake swallowed through her dry throat, slowly making her way to her bed. She pushed away the burning feel, the ache that had now appeared. Sitting down, she reached over her table and picked up the book she'd been reading the last few nights. With conscious effort, she leaned against the wall, opened the book, and tried to get comfortable.

 _It's... it's just one night. I… I can do this. I can make it through… one night… just this one, single time, with no problem. I am a Huntress. I fight monsters on a daily basis. I can survive… one night… just got to make it through… one night…. I can do this… I… can… do this…_

Her frantically twitching bow said otherwise.

* * *

 **One hour later…**

She was going to die.

Blake held her book close to her face, her hands shaking, her breath choppy. She kept her eyes glued to the pages, rereading the same words over and over again, unable to focus. She swallowed, before again glancing up at the room.

Weiss sat at their shared desk, pencil scratching across paper as she worked on the day's homework. Back straight, posture relaxed, her head tilting slightly as she alternated between reading her textbook and writing down notes.

Ruby was doing the same, at Weiss' insistence, though with less success. Sitting cross-legged on her bunk, surrounded by books and binders. She furrowed her brow at the book in her hand, chewing on her pencil nervously.

Any other night, a normal sight in the Team RWBY dorm.

But for Blake, it was anything but normal. Her senses were on overdrive, every sight, sound, and scent screamed at her, drawing her attention. The way Weiss' hair drifted over her eyes as she moved her head, the delicate way she moved her fingers as she turned the pages of her book. The slight grinding sound of Ruby's teeth biting into the soft wood of her pencil, her tongue trailing across her lips as she stuck it out in concentration.

But the most distracting, the most tormenting, came from the small trails of steam floating from under the bathroom door. With her already strong hearing increased, she could clearly hear Yang's quiet humming, her fingers squeaking through her soapy hair, the near silent beating of water against her soft, wet skin…

Blake slammed her book shut, eyes clenched and teeth grit, banishing the image from her mind.

 _No! Stop it! Control. I am in control! I am in control…_

She took a deep breath and held it, clenching her hands into fists.

It _hurt._ What had started as a warmth had become a fire, a raging inferno that was screaming, _begging_ , to be quenched. It was like someone had replaced her blood with lit fire dust, and she was burning from the inside out, and _Dust_ , it was painful. She was at the point that it took all her willpower not to scream in agony. She only barely felt the sharp twinges as her clenched fists dug her nails into her palms.

 _I am in control… I am in control… I am-_

"Blake?"

Blake's amber eyes snapped open at the very sudden, very _close_ voice.

And she stared directly into the light grey orbs right in front of her.

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 **A/n: Yeah, not a whole lot to go off of for now, though some feedback on my style and characterization would be appreciated. Next chapter should be up by next week, along with a more informative author's note.**

 **Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!**

 **Edit 5/8/17: Man, my style has changed in year and a half. I fixed the grammar and the misspellings, so hopefully it reads better. Onto the next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2: Red

**A/n: Eight favorites and seventeen followers in two days. Wow. Thanks!**

 **Bare in mind that the way characters describe themselves does not necessarily reflect how I see them.**

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 **Chapter 2: Red**

Something was wrong with Blake.

For the last hour, Ruby had been trying to understand the obscure notes of her history homework. Normally history was one of her better subjects, despite the rather obscure points Professor Oobleck always asked for in the homework, but tonight, she just couldn't focus.

Ruby knew she wasn't really the best choice for team leader, despite her friends telling her otherwise. She wasn't as smart Weiss, or calm and collected like Blake, or even as confident as Yang. She had trouble focusing, acted a bit impulsive, and nearly always missed the point of whatever she was being told.

And yet, everyone, from her teammates, to Team JNPR, to the headmaster himself, all believed that she was the one who should lead, despite her thoughts to the contrary. She didn't get it.

She was grateful for their faith in her, truly she was, but she didn't get it.

But Ruby Rose was not a quitter. If everyone thought she could be a leader, then gosh darn it, she was going to be the best leader she could! Even if her book-smarts were a bit… lacking…

Yes, Ruby knew she lacking in some areas, she was determined to make up for it in others. And the best way she could think of was by knowing her team.

Yang was easy. Ruby had known her big sis since… forever, really. What she liked, what she hated, favorite places to go, things to do, even the things she feared the most (which Sister Law dictated she never reveal to anyone, ever).

Weiss was a bit tougher. Any and all inquiries about her family brought up 'The Wall,' as Ruby had started to call it, when Weiss' voice got low and her eyes hardened. All Ruby knew was that she had an older sister, who she didn't talk to too much, but seemed to make Weiss a little sad when she talked about her, and her father, who Ruby got the feeling was a man she never wanted to meet. Her mother hadn't been mentioned once, which told Ruby that the woman was either worse the Weiss' father, or was dead, neither something Ruby wanted to dwell on.

Aside from family, however, Ruby had actually discovered a surprising amount about her partner. Mainly, Weiss had a love for rather simple things, despite her upper class upbringing. Small things like movies, window shopping, even sweets. Once on a trip to Vale, Ruby had dragged Weiss into a ice cream because she was hungry. The look on Weiss' face when she bit into what, to Ruby, was just a regular vanilla ice cream cone, eyes big and practically sparkling, would be etched into Ruby's mind as one of the cutest things she had ever seen, not the Weiss would ever admit it. Come to think of it, maybe it was _because_ she grew up in high society that she took pleasure in things Ruby considered normal.

Weiss also valued truth and honesty, despite her evasion on topics she didn't want to talk about (Something Ruby would have to talk to her about at some point.) She was very slow to trust people, but seemed to be rather loyal once you had earned her trust. However, she was very unforgiving if she believed that trust had been misplaced, though a bit impulsive in her own right when it came to condemning said alleged trust-breaker (look no further than the thing with Blake a few weeks ago.)

Speaking of Blake, however, that was the one that trouble Ruby a bit. Ruby knew even less about her past then she did Weiss'. She was a former member of the White Fang… and that was it. No family, no former friends, places she lived or hung out at; nothing. The one time Ruby had asked about her family, all she received as a brief blank stare, before Blake put on a rather forced smile and gently brushed her off.

However, Ruby had managed to piece a few things together about Blake as a person. She liked seafood (for now obvious reasons,) but also had a taste for sweet fruits, like apples and tangerines. She liked athletics, mostly things to do with acrobatics or fast footwork (got the proof on that one at the arcade. Blake wiped the floor with her at that dance-rhythm game, and seemed to enjoy doing it.) She preferred the peace and quiet, though was willing to put up with a surprising amount of noise around her to enjoy a good book. She was always very calm, very mellow, and seemed to not let anything bother her for too long.

That was what made Ruby worried. That was how Blake had acted for the few months she had known her. The only time she had lost that cool was her fight with Weiss, and even then, Blake had seemed to return to her 'normal' after all was said and done.

So what was wrong with her now?

Ruby looked down at Blake from her bunk. At first glance, nothing seemed out of place; just quiet ol' Blake, her nose buried in a book. But, as Ruby had noted, something seemed… off.

The first hint was just after the movie had ended. As she and Yang had bickered with Weiss over the merits of watching bad movies for the fun of it, Ruby had seen Blake move towards her bag. Not that strange, except for how… stiff, Blake seemed to be moving, like she was on a mission. Then there was her just staring into space for, like, five minutes after looking in her bag. And then the thing with her wallet…

Ruby frowned. Blake… lied. She had her wallet when they were at the arcade, Ruby saw it when Blake swapped some lien for game tokens. And she never went to the cafeteria after that, they all went back to the dorm, as a group.

Ruby stared at Blake, looking her over. Blake reading a book was normal, _this_ was not. When she read, Blake usually held her books down a bit, so you could always see her eyes trailing across the pages. This time, she held the book higher, so her face was blocked. Her shoulders were tense, and she seemed to clutching the book rather hard, judging by her the slight shake in her hands.

A sharp movement caught Ruby's attention. At first she thought she had imagined it, but then it happened again: every few seconds, Blake's ever-present bow would twitch sharply.

Ruby was really worried now. Even though they all now knew Blake was a Faunus, said Faunus still never took off that bow. Ruby had seen her cat ears only once, very briefly that night on the docks, and never since. Heck, she doubted Yang or Weiss had seen them at all yet. Knowing they were there, Ruby had grown rather impressed with how Blake was able to keep them so still all the time, never letting others in on her secret.

Which is what made their frantic twitching now all the more concerning.

Ruby chewed on her pencil nervously. Her eyes turned to her partner, calmly doing schoolwork with an ease that made Ruby slightly envious. The leader put down her textbook and pencil, and made to get down from her bunk. _Maybe Weiss-_

 _ **SLAM!**_

Ruby jumped as the silence was shattered by a large bang, nearly falling off the bed. The noise startled Weiss into dropping her pencil. They both snapped their heads toward the noise-

Ruby felt her heart clench.

Blake had slammed her book shut, dropping it in the process, giving Ruby a clear view of her Faunus friend. Her hands were clenched into fists so tight, her knuckles were white. Her face was very red, thin lines of sweat trailing down her forehead. Her eyes were shut tight, and Ruby couldn't tell if the moisture in the around them was more sweat, or the start of tears. Her mouth was twisted into a pained grimace.

Ruby quickly turned to Weiss, who returned her look with one of confusion and concern.

As Weiss stood up, Ruby lept of her bunk and dashed across the room, stopping right in front of Blake.

 _She's shaking,_ Ruby noticed with a frown.

Ruby bent down slightly. "Blake?"

Blake's eyes snapped open. "R-Ruby?"

Ruby frowned at her confused tone. "Blake, are you okay? You don't look so well."

Blake stared, before flinching back, eyes screwed shut. "I-I'm f-fine, Ruby,-" was she clenching her teeth? "-j-just a little… a little warm…"

 _She's lying again._ A bead of sweat slid down Blake's forehead. On a whim, Ruby wiped it away with the back of her hand. Her eyes widened as she held it there, Blake's eyes flying open at the contact.

"Blake, you're burning up! I think you have a fever or something-"

Ruby stopped as Blake's wide eyes slowly slid closed. Ruby opened her mouth to say something, when she felt Blake lean forward, pressing her forehead against her hand. "Blake?"

Blake ignored her, dipping her head a bit, her hair touching Ruby's hand.

Ruby grew more confused as Blake started to rub against her hand, pushing it higher up her hair line. "Blake are you feeling-"

She fell silent as Blake dipped her head farther, a small smile forming on her lips. Ruby nearly gasped as her fingers brushed against the bow, the knot holding it in place loosening.

The leader was at a loss for words as Blake rubbed one, two, three more times, until one side of the bow fell back, and Ruby felt soft fur beneath her fingers.

"Oh," Was all she could manage.

"Wow…" Ruby turned her head to find Weiss right behind her, pale blue eyes glued to Blake's revealed cat ear.

Blake kept rubbing, until she let out a small huff, her smile faltering, rubbing slightly harder against Ruby's limp hand.

 _Does she want me to do something?_

With no other ideas, Ruby lifted her hand slightly, and scratched behind Blake's ear.

Blake shuddered suddenly, before relaxing. Ruby felt Blake start to vibrate, and a deep rumble filled the air.

"Is she-? Is she _purring!?_ " Weiss said in a stunned whisper.

Ruby was just as shocked. She scratched harder, and and the rumbling grew louder. Ruby felt the corners of her mouth perk up.

 _Is this a Faunus thing? She wanted someone to scratch her ears? No, that can't be it, why would she feel this warm?_

For about a minute, Ruby stood there scratching Blake's ears, the rest of the bow coming loose. Weiss watched on, entranced by the spectacle before her.

Just as soon as it had started, Blake stopped purring. She lifted her head, Ruby's hand still curled around her ear.

 _I guess she wants to talk now._ "Blake?"

Blake opened her eyes, and Ruby felt her heart jump.

Blake's yellow eyes were narrowed like a cat's, her irises narrow slits. She smiled softly.

"Blake? are you oka-?"

Blake lunged.

It took Ruby's brain a few seconds to process exactly what had happened as she slowly registered the flushed face talking up her vision, the soft but forceful feeling pressing against her lips, the rough texture running over her tongue…

 _Oh, Blake is kissing me._

…

 _BLAKE IS KISSING ME!_

Ruby felt stuck. Part of her was screaming to push Blake away, to stop this… whatever it is. But another part thought that… it felt… kinda nice.

Ruby's eyes slowly slid closed, Blake giving a hum of contentment as she leaned into the kiss.

 _Really nice…_

" _ **WHAT THE HELL!?"**_

Ruby jumped back, feeling like a bucket of ice water had been splashed over her. She opened her eyes to see Blake still in front of her, blinking rapidly as her slitted eyes morphed back to normal. She stared at Ruby, confused, before gasping, eyes widening. She gaped silently, before her head snapped to the side. Ruby followed suit, and nearly jumped back again.

Yang stood in the bathroom door, sleepwear on, hair wet, hands clenched, eyes a _murderous_ shade of red. When she got no answer, she slowly marched forward, gaze locked on the terrified Faunus, Weiss wisely getting out of her way.

"I repeat: What? The? _**Hell!?**_ "

Blake's eyes flicked between Yang, Ruby, and a thoroughly confused Weiss as she sputtered for a response. "I-I…"

"'I, I,' what!?" Yang raised her arm a bit, looking about ready to throw a punch.

Ruby's frazzled mind had finally caught up with the situation, and was about to jump in front of Yang, hoping to give Blake a chance to explain ( _she could explain, right? I mean, there's a reason she just… kissed me… right?_ ) when Blake beat her to it.

Just as she had a month ago, Blake phased out of existence as a black blur shot across the room. The slam of the bathroom door echoed throughout the room, the click of the lock following soon after.

* * *

 **A/n: Okay, I lied, the Authors note is next chapter, which should be up in a few days. See you all then! In the mean time, let me know what you think. People seem to like it so far, but I haven't gotten much in the way of feedback yet.**


	3. Chapter 3: Cold

**Chapter 3: Cold**

Blake pressed herself against the door, gasping in steam-filled air as her heart pounded in her chest. Part of it was from the fear that Yang looked so pissed, she might _actually_ kill her.

But most of it was of it was from the crushing reality of what she'd just done.

 _I kissed Ruby. I just kissed- oh, Dust, I just kissed her, right in front of Weiss! And Yang saw…_

As her breathing quickened, she ran a hand through her hair, right over her ear-

 _My ears._

Her hands flew to the top of her head, clamping over the damning appendages.

 _My bow. That's right, Ruby… No, I_ made _Ruby… that means Weiss… Yang too… they saw…_

Blake slid down the door, the truth sinking in. Tears trailed down her face.

 _I… I lost it. I lost control. They…_ Blake's eyes scoured the bathroom. No windows or other doors, no vents she could squeeze through.

A small, humorless laugh passed her lips. _I can't run this time. There's nowhere to go. I-I have tell them. They're going to know. They're going to look at me like…_

She sobbed.

 _Like I'm an animal._

It was still there. Even now, the fire, the heat, the _pain_ ; it surged through her. Except now, it wasn't fantasy that fed the flames, it was a single, very real moment that replayed in her mind.

The moment Ruby's had touched her skin, it was all over. After one hour ( _Dust damn it, just one hour_ ) of holding everything in, Ruby's touch was like a wrecking ball to her psyche. Her mind had gone blank, instinct taking over. All she could think about was Ruby's cool hand on her skin, the feeling of her fingers brushing through her hair. And when Ruby scratched her ears…

 _I purred._

Blake buried her face in her hands.

She hadn't purred since she was a child, back when the White Fang actually stood for something. She couldn't have been older than… Dust, seven, eight? Young enough that a Faunus could get away with acting on their more instinctual feelings. That had stopped once life forced her to grow up.

Yet in her pent-up state. all it took Ruby was a brush of the hand and a few scratches to turn her into,,, into…

 _A damn house cat._

She could have lived with that. If it had just stopped at the ears and the purring, Blake _might_ have been able to salvage the situation, pass it off as some whim that had struck her. But no, oh no, that wasn't good enough for the cat. She had a taste of affection, and the greedy little feline had wanted more.

 _I kissed Ruby, just blitzed her, right there in the dorm. I didn't ask, I didn't warn her I just… went for it. Why… why'd I do that?… And why…_

 _Why did she kiss me back?_

Blake smiled, despite herself. For a brief moment, she had felt it, the slight pressure as Ruby had leaned into the kiss. And for just a second, so sudden she thought she'd imagined it, the inferno had died down, faded to a comfortable warmth. She'd felt… content.

And the Yang tried to take her head off.

Blake's heart beat faster as she recalled that moment, the confusion, the horror, and then the pure, unadulterated _fear_ as Yang marched towards her, eyes ablaze. Those eyes, so furious, boring into her soul as her form shook with rage, her wet hair glowing, her clothes hugging her damp form, showing off every curve-

Blake slammed her fists to her head.

 _DAMN IT!_

Even terrified, that damn warmth screwed with her head.

It was getting unbearable. She was burning, aching, _begging_ for it to stop, only for her body to heat further. A whimper escaped her lips, her breathing growing ragged.

 _Can't… can't lose it again… have to,,, explain… Need to... focus…._

Her eyes drifted across the bathroom, finally resting on the shower.

 _Need to… cool off…_

* * *

Weiss had given up.

What had been a surprisingly nice evening with her team had devolved into utter chaos in under an hour,

Things had been so quiet, peaceful even, as she had simply focused on her schoolwork, even getting Ruby to do the same for once. Blake was reading a book, Yang was in the shower, unable to annoy her for the time being. It was nearly perfect.

Then Blake slammed her book shut.

Weiss felt a wave of guilt wash over her. Had Blake looked like that the whole night? Ruby was right, she looked sick, downright feverish. Weiss had actually pulled out her scroll, ready to call the infirmary for help (Even with the lockdown, someone could have done something.)

But then things took a turn for the crazy. The moment Ruby touched Blake's forehead, it was like she'd become a different person. Or rather… a different creature.

Weiss had been around cats before. Her sister Winter had owned one for a number of years before it had passed away. So she recognized what Blake was doing, the gentle rubbing against Ruby's hand, the not-so-subtle request for affection. Well, actually, she hadn't recognized it at first. Not until she saw the ears.

That had been a shocker. Weiss knew they were there, but actually seeing them, two large, fur covered cat ears poking out of Blake's hair; it suddenly made things seem a bit more real.

Her father's voice echoed in her mind, and she tried desperately to quash down the many memories of his rants and venting.

She very nearly said something, a biting retort on the situation which, in hindsight, would have been rather rude and insensitive. It was a knee-jerk reaction, a byproduct of living in the Schnee household, to belittle anything beyond the status quo. She still had to work on that, as the sight of Ruby scratching Blake's cat ears almost made her say something she knew she would have regretted. And she would have said it, too.

If Blake hadn't started purring.

Weiss couldn't help but stare as Blake rumbled, a smile gracing her lips. Weiss felt her own lips quirk upwards a bit at the sight. Between the purring, her smile, and the almost kitten-like way she was acting, Blake actually looked kind of… cute.

Weiss felt her cheeks warm at the thought. _She's probably older than me,_ she chided herself. _I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate such a comment… or would she be offended if I_ didn't _find such actions completely normal?_

She pushed her thoughts aside. Working out her confusing feelings about Faunus could wait another day. They still needed to figure out why Blake was acting this way. She was feverish, if Ruby's exclamation was to be believed, and was most definitely acting out of character, even if her actions seemed rather harmless…

…

She's kissing Ruby.

…

SHE'S KISSING RUBY!

Weiss felt her mouth fall open, her mind grinding to a halt as she watched the impossible happen. Her cheeks reddened as Blake eagerly pressed her lips against the smaller girl. Ruby seemed just as stunned as Weiss, just standing there frozen. Just as the thought crossed Weiss' mind that she should help her partner, to stop Blake from doing what Ruby clearly wanted no part of…

 _Is she kissing back!?_

Weiss' jaw fell further and her face grew redder as Ruby leaned forward, her jaw working slowly as she pressed closer to the Faunus. When Blake let out a small hum that sounded suspiciously like a moan, Weiss' brain finally shut down.

What little faculties she had left screamed at Weiss to turn away, if nothing else than to give her teammates privacy, but she couldn't look away. She watched them kiss for what felt like an eternity, her heart rate increasing by the minute.

" _ **WHAT THE HELL!?"**_

Well, _that_ snapped her out of it.

Weiss jumped nearly a foot at Yang's sudden yell, and found herself floundering backwards once she caught sight of the crimson rage in Yang's eyes.

With the spell broken, Weiss took in the room with a clear head. Ruby seemed more confused than anything, a deep blush on her face as looked at her sister. Blake, on the other hand, looked both terrified and horrified. She glanced quickly at Ruby, then at Yang, and then strangely, at Weiss. When their eyes met, Weiss' heart skipped a beat.

 _That look in her eye. That's the same look she had last month. Like she'd been found out. Like she was scared._

Weiss barely registered the gust of wind that blew past her, only catching the slightest glimpse of black as the bathroom door slammed shut.

They all stared at the door for a second, before Yang let out a growl.

"Oh, no you don't! Not this time, Belladonna! You get your ass out here right now!" Yang started towards the door.

Ruby rushed in front of her, rose petals floating around her. "Yang, wait!"

Yang paused for a second, frowning down at her sister, before glaring back at the door. "Outta my way, Ruby."

"Yang, just wait for-"

"Did you ask?"

Ruby blinked at the question. "Wha-?"

"Did you... ask her... to kiss you?" Yang's red eyes stared into Ruby's, her face unsettlingly calm.

Ruby blushed, stammering. "W-Well, um… n-not… not exactly…"

Yang nodded. "Yep, I'm gonna break her." She pushed past Ruby, only to be blocked again.

"Yang, just-"

"'Just' what, Ruby!?" Yang's sudden yell made both Ruby and Weiss jump. The blonde stared down at Ruby, face flushed in anger. "I get out of the shower and the first thing I see is my _partner_ mackin' on my little sister! I mean, what the hell got into her to think that was in any way okay? Give me one reason I don't bust down that door and beat her into-"

"I think Blake's sick!"

Yang paused mid-word, her arms still up from flailing in her rant. "'Scuze me?

Seeing that Yang stopped, Ruby rushed ahead. "See, after the movie, I saw that Blake was acting kinda funny, so I watched her for a while before she threw her book down and I saw that she was all red and sweaty and was really tense, so I went over to her and I touched her forehead and she was really, really warm, so I asked if she was okay, and then she started acting kinda weird and rubbing on me, and then her cat ears popped out , so I scratched them and she started purring, which was _really_ cute, but then she looked at me and her eyes got all slanty, and then she kissed me and it felt really nice, andthenIkissedbackthenyoucameoutandI'mabequietnow..." She trailed off, her eyes on the ground, her cheeks red.

Weiss and Yang just stared at for moment, before Yang tilted her head to the side in confusion, red eyes dimming back down to lavender. "Uh… wha?"

Weiss shook her head at the two, before elaborating. "Ruby noticed that Blake was acting odd and went to check on her. Blake kind of… _froze_ when Ruby touch her and then started acting like…" She paused, unsure what to say.

"Like…" Yang asked.

Weiss shifted uncomfortably. "Well… for lack of a better word… she was acting like a cat."

Yang's eyes widened, before narrowing dangerously. "You wanna rephrase that, Princess?"

Weiss let out a frustrated sigh, anticipating that kind of reaction to her words. "Believe me, I would if I could, but that's truly how she was acting! When Ruby checked her for a fever, Blake started rubbing against her like a cat begging for attention. And when Ruby scratched her ears…"

"Huh?" Yang turned back to Ruby, who shrugged. "It was all I could think of…"

"...she started purring."

"Wait, what?" Yang snapped back to Weiss. "Purring? As in… actually purring?"

Weiss nodded. "Just like a cat would, yes. Exact same sound. And then, well… you saw…"

Yang looked between the two, before staring at the bathroom door. "So… there's actually something wrong with Blake? She just didn't suddenly get the hots for Ruby?"

Weiss and Ruby blushed at her bluntness. "As far as we can tell."

"Oh." Yang said, the last remaining bits of her anger fading away. Then she looked concerned. "So, what's wrong with her?"

"We don't know. We didn't get that far."

"I don't think she knew what she was doing."

Weiss and Yang turned to the leader, still staring at the ground.

"What do you mean, Rubes?" Yang asked.

"Well," Ruby started awkwardly.. "When you… broke us up… she looked… kinda confused… like she didn't know where she was."

Weiss frowned. "Like she was in a trance or something?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. Her eyes went back to normal, and then she looked… scared."

"Well, I was kinda pissed." Yang rubbed her neck with a sheepish smile on her face.

To their surprise, Ruby shook her head, frowning. "No, it was before she saw you. I think… I think she was scared of me." She looked up to meet their stunned faces. "Of what she'd done with me."

They fell silent as that sunk in. Then Weiss had a thought, pulling out her scroll.

"What are you doing, Princess?" Yang asked.

Ignoring the nickname, Weiss started typing. "I'm pulling up a medical database my family owns."

"You have a medical database?" Ruby asked.

Weiss paused, before continuing typing. "Long story. I'm think, maybe if I type in Blake's symptoms, as least the ones we know about, it could give us an idea of what's going on with her."

"Oh…" Yang and Ruby droned, before rushing to Weiss' side to watch her progress. Weiss blushed at feeling the sisters lean against her, before finishing up typing.

 _...fever. sweating. animalistic tendencies, need for affection, loss of memory... that should do it. Search._

They watched as a little progress bar at the top of the screen filled up, before red text took up the screen.

 **0 results found.**

"What!?" Weiss practically screamed. "This is the most advanced, up-to-date medial server in the Kingdoms! It has every illness known to man, from natural to drug induced! How can there be nothing!?"

Just as Weiss was about to call up the company and complain to whatever idiot was in charge, Yang spoke. "Hey, you said your family owns this database, right?"

Weiss raised and eyebrow, confused by her question. "Yes. Why?"

"Would they have anything on Faunus specific illnesses?"

Weiss opened her mouth to berate her, (of course they would!), but stopped when she realized… her family owned the database.

Weiss' head dipped down at the realization. A cold feeling grew inside her, one she had begun feeling increasingly often in the last month: shame.

"No…" she said softly. "They wouldn't." Without another word, she copied symptoms she typed into the database, and opened the seldom used internet browser on her scroll. She pasted them into the search bar, and hit enter.

At the top of the page, a link to a medical site said: **Faunus** **Estrous cycle.**

Weiss clicked on it.

After reading a few paragraphs, all three were blushing.

"Well… that explains it." Yang said after a moment.

"It… does seem to make sense." Weiss said, cheeks flaming.

Ruby tilted her head to the side. "So… Blake wants to have our babies?"

" _ **RUBY!"**_ Weiss screeched, aghast, as Yang howled with laughter.

Ruby blushed deeper, looking back at the ground. "Well, that's what it sounds like…"

Weiss cleared her throat, her cheeks still tinted. "Yes, well… um…" She trailed off, staring towards the bathroom door.

Yang, finally calmed down, followed her gaze. "Yeah, that about sums it up. So… what now?"

Weiss shrugged awkwardly. "Talk to her, I suppose?"

Yang rolled her eyes. "Well, _yeah_ , no duh. I mean, what do we say to her?"

"Well, make sure our suspicions are correct, of course," Weiss said, attempting to be mature. "Then, we'll… um… try and help her?"

Yang gave Weiss a weird look. "Uh, help her as in…?"

It took Weiss a moment before she understood Yang's implication. "Wha- no! No nononono, that's not what I-! I mean, I-I-I didn't mean to imply… I wasn't suggesting..."

Despite the situation, Yang struggled not to bust up as Weiss blushed and stuttered through her denial of any 'suggestive activities.' She was just about to lose it when Ruby spoke.

"Hey, guys?" They both turned to her. "Hasn't she been in their for a while?"

Yang blinked. Actually… yeah, Blake had been locked in the bathroom for quite some time.

 _Well, Princess does have a point. We should at least talk to her._

Yang walked up to the door and knocked softly. "Hey, Blake?" When she got no answer, she continued. "Hey, I'm sorry for freaking out on you. I'm calmer now. Can you come out?"

When no answer came, she looked back at the others. Ruby and Weiss stared back, concerned. Yang knocked again, harder. "Blake? You okay in there?" Yang put her ear to the door. She could hear the shower running, but that was it. Strangely, the door felt cool to the touch. "Blake?"

Still no response.

Getting worried, Yang tried the handle. Still locked. She stared at the door, before sighing.

"Guess I'm paying for a new door," She mumbled under her breath. Then she raised her voice. "Blake! I'm coming in!" With all her strength, she threw her shoulder into the door, easily breaking the frame. Finally inside, she said, "Blake, are you…?"

Yang's voice caught in her throat as she looked towards the shower.

Blake was curled in on herself in the corner of the shower, fully clothed. The water beat down on her flushed skin relentlessly, soaking her sleeprobe. Her arms were thrown over her head, her whole body tense. She was shivering.

"Blake!" Yang yelled as she ran across the room, nearly slipping on the wet tiles. She reached for the shower knobs, flinching as the ice cold water hit her. Once the water stopped, she knelt beside Blake, putting her hands on her shoulders. _She's freezing!_ "Blake?"

Blake looked up through her arms, and Yang was stunned at the wet, slitted eyes staring back at her. The amber orbs widened when she saw the blonde.

"Y-Yang?" Her voice was so quiet. Yang frowned at her stutter. The Faunus was shivering so bad, Yang could hear her teeth chattering.

She snapped her head towards the doorway, where Weiss and Ruby stared in shock. "Ruby!" Yang barked, snapping the sniper back to attention. "Get some towels!"

Ruby took one more look at Blake, before nodding. "Right!" She yelled, before dashing over to the closet.

Yang turned back to Blake, who was staring at her through the gap in her arms. When Yang tried to touch her arms, she flinched away. "No! Y-Yang you can't… I-I'm not…"

"Blake, your freezing. You gotta get out of here." Yang tried to pull the girl up, but Blake wouldn't budge.

"I-I can't… Y-You… you don't understand..."

"I think I do." Blake's head snapped up, terror in her eyes. Yang felt her heart twist at the sight. "And I ain't gonna let you turn yourself into a popsicle if I can help it." Before Blake could respond, Yang yelled behind her. "Ruby, where are those-?"

"Right here!" Ruby materialized in front of her, holding a stack of white towels. Yang grabbed the one on top and was about to use it, before she noticed a problem. "Uh… okay. Blake, I'm really sorry, and please don't hate me for this."

"W-Wha…?" Blake stuttered out, before Yang gripped her arms.

With one motion, Yang pulled Blake's arms apart, leaving Blake exposed. Moving quickly, Yang then grabbed the front of Blake's robe and pulled. A wet _RIP!_ echoed through the room.

Blake blinked, suddenly finding herself clad only in her wet bra and panties, sitting in the shredded remains of her robe.

From the doorway, Weiss let out a squawk of indignation "Yang, you do _not_ just do that!"

Before Blake could fully react, she felt softness envelop her as Yang wrapped the towel around her torso, then doing the same with her legs.

Blake looked down in confusion at the towel, before starting back up at Yang.

"Better?" Yang asked, a nervous smile on her lips.

Blake tried to say something, but her voice caught in her throat. Yes, this felt _so_ much better then the ice shower she'd subjected herself too, but without the cold water beating down on her, she could feel the warmth coming back, not helped by the fact that Yang was _so close._

"Y-Yang, I-" She tried, but Yang pressed her index finger to her lips.

"Shh." She shushed with a stern expression. "Let's get out of here before we talk."

Blake jumped as Yang suddenly put her arms under her lifted. Blake shuddered as she was suddenly wrapped in Yang's very warm embrace, the blonde carrying her across and out of the room, passed a very concerned looking Weiss and Ruby.

Inside her, the fire roared.

 **A/n: Next chapter will be up tomorrow.**

 **Read and Review, and a Happy New Year too!**


	4. Chapter 4: Accept

**A/n: I am not a doctor. My medical background begins and ends with old health textbooks and the internet, both of which I have used to the best of my abilities. I apologize I get some things wrong or misuse certain terms. I'm doing the best with what I got.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Accept**

"Okay, Blake. Start talking."

Blake's eyes flitted to Yang, before staring back at her hands. Yang had placed her on her bed, still wrapped in towels, before taking a seat in the desk chair, sitting backwards with her arms folded on the backrest. Weiss sat on the edge of her bed, while Ruby settled for sitting cross legged on the floor near Blake's bed. All three stared at her, waiting for an answer.

Blake pulled the towel around her tighter. "I'm…" She took a shaky breath. _Just get it over with._ "I'm in heat." She whispered out, unable to look at any of them.

The room was silent, Blake waiting for the pin to drop. Any second now, it would happen; the anger, the disgust, the utter revulsion at the realization of exactly what she was, what that entailed. Blake closed her slitted eyes, tears welling up as she waited for the rejection…

"Well, we kinda figured that."

Blake's eyes flew open at Yang's dismissive tone. She saw the blonde giving her a troubled look, frowning slightly. "W-What?" She asked hesitantly.

Yang jerked her chin towards Weiss. "You had us worried, so Princess looked up how you were acting on the web. Wasn't that hard."

Weiss scoffed, rolling her eyes. "At least I thought of something…" She mumbled, before looking at Blake. "Why didn't you tell us?" She asked.

Blake flinched at the question, despite Weiss' soft tone, or at least, soft for her. She looked into Weiss' eyes and, to her awe, saw only worry. She turned to Yang, then Ruby, only to see more of the same.

"You… you're not mad?"

The reaction she got was nothing like she expected. If anything, it looked like _they_ were the shocked ones now.

"Mad?" Yang said incredulously. "Why would we be mad? Blake, what's going on?"

"What reason would we have to be mad at you for this? It's not like you can help it." Weiss crossed her arms, frowning.

Blake only stared in disbelief, not knowing how to respond.

Ruby, who had been quiet up until now, asked. "Blake, are you… scared of us?"

All of them turned towards Ruby, who was biting her lip nervously.

"What? What do you mean, Rubes? She ain't scared of us, right Blake?" Yang turned towards Blake with a smile on her face, only to falter when Blake dipped her head down, pulling at the towel. "Right?"

Blake was silent, not looking at anyone. Weiss gave a huff, before turning to her scroll, thinking maybe the web page could give her further insight, when Blake's broken voice reached her ears.

"Yes." She whispered, her cat ears pinning back against her head. "Yes, I'm scared."

Ruby scooted a little closer, confused. "Why?" She asked softly.

"Blake kept her head down as she went on. "I'm not human." Weiss and Yang's eyes widened at her tone, while Ruby just tilted her head. "I-I act like I am. I hide my ears, I slow myself down, I… I try to keep myself as… _normal_ as possible, so no one will notice that there's anything different between a human and a Faunus. But…" She she cleared her throat as her voice grew thicker, a tear sliding down her cheek. "... but there is."

"Blake…" Ruby whispered, eyes wide.

Blake didn't hear her as she continued, her voice cracking. "The way... the way I act and... the way I _want_ to act. The little whims, just… random things I feel every now and then, that I just force myself to ignore, so that everyone will think I'm normal. And then… _this!_ " She hissed out, looking down at herself in contempt, at her reddened skin and slight sweating. The fire was in full force, burning at her insides. The only thing keeping her from acting on the feelings was the distraction of her teammates, though she knew that would only last so long.

Blake's anger burnt itself out quickly, leaving on sadness in its wake. Tears flowed down her face. "I just… you all know I'm a Faunus, and… and I know you're telling the truth when you say you don't care, but… I just keep waiting for the day you realize how different I am and… and…"

"And?" Ruby asked.

"... and start to hate me."

Silence filled the room once again as gave up. She cried silently, tears flowing freely as she took shaky breaths.

"Nope."

Blake looked up, and nearly flinched when she found Ruby right in front of her.

"W-What?"

"Nope." Ruby repeated, before throwing her arms around the Faunus.

Blake froze as Ruby clung tightly to her, pulling her close so that the leader's chin rested on her shoulder. "R-Ruby!?"

"We could never hate you."

Blake's eyes widened.

"You're our friend, Blake. We don't care that you're a Faunus, or whether you're normal or not. You're a member of our team, and we trust you with our lives. We love you."

Fresh tears sprung from Blake's eyes. "R-Ruby…"

Strong, warm arms, suddenly wrapped around the both of them.

"Couldn't have said it better myself, little sis. Sorry Blake. You couldn't make us hate you if you tried." Yang smiled brightly as she gave Blake a squeeze.

Blake stared back, tears flowing. "Yang…"

A weight settled onto the bed next to her, making Blake turn to the side. Weiss was sitting next to her, head pointed down.

"You told me you were once a member of the White Fang, the organization that's been making my family's lives, and by extension _my life_ , a living hell." She turned to Blake, her eyes soft. "If _that_ couldn't make me hate you, what makes you think this could?"

Blake was dumbfounded. "Weiss…"

The heiress put a hand awkwardly on her shoulder. "Ruby's right. You are my friend." She smiled. "Nothing can change that."

"Aw no you don't, get in here!" Yang suddenly grabbed Weiss' wrist and pulled, forcing the heiress' arm to go over Blake's shoulder with an _'eep!'_ Weiss glared at the blonde, who just grinned back, before Weiss rolled her eyes and put her other arm around Ruby, completing the group hug.

Blake looked around at the three girls around her, all smiling, all giving her comfort.

 _They don't hate me._ She thought, her lips slowly shifting into a smile. _They accept me. They… love me._

Slowly, Blake wrapped her arms around Ruby's waist, the only one she could reach around, making Ruby squeeze her harder as Blake buried her face into the shoulder.

Blake sank into the embrace, feeling the safety and acceptance of her team around her. She hummed in contentment as their bodies pressed against her. Their warm, soft bodies...

Her eyes snapped open.

 _Oops…_

"Um, guys?" She said hesitantly. The three pulled back, looking at her questioningly. "I really appreciate this, but, um… you're making me kind of… warm…"

It took a full five seconds for her words to register, Before all three of them flew back, blushing.

"Oh, crap, I forgot about that!"

"I-I-I didn't intend to- I didn't mean too-"

"Sorry, Blake!"

If the circumstances were different, Blake would have burst out laughing at how flustered her team was, all blushing and trying to look anywhere but at Blake.

Unfortunately, the roaring, burning, rather _frustrated_ fire inside her kept her silent.

Everyone shifted awkwardly, until Yang broke the silence. "So… what do we do about this?"

Blake shook her head. "I don't know. I usually have some medicine that… helps me through this… but I'm all out."

"Oh, well, maybe someone else on campus has some you can borrow." Ruby suggested.

"I thought of that. That's actually what I was going to check earlier, but…"

"The lockdown." Yang realized, rubbing her neck, "Well crap. Any other ideas?"

Blake shrugged.

"Um…" Weiss started, sporting a blush. "Forgive my… _bluntness_ , but couldn't you just… take care of the problem yourself?"

Blake blushed at her meaning, as did Yang and Ruby. "No, I can't. A Faunus' heat affects both the body and the mind. For that route to work, I would need a… partner."

Akward silence reigned as the implications of her statement sank in, Yang's blush deepening a bit at her wording. Blake racked her brain for an alternative, or at least as much as she could with her heat frazzling her mind.

"Umm… is that an option?"

All eyes turned towards Ruby, who's face was as red as her cloak.

"Ruby?" Blake asked.

Ruby shifted in place, swallowing slightly. "If you need partner…"

Blake looked at her in confusion, before her mouth popped open. _Did she really just suggest…?_

"Wha- NO!" Yang suddenly shouted, putting herself between Blake and Ruby. "Nonononono. Hell no! Don't even think about it!"

"What? Blake said it would work." Ruby said, pouting slightly.

"I don't freaking care! You are not shagging Blake! Especially when I'm stuck in the room with you!"

Weiss finally seemed to have caught on to the conversation. "Wait, do you mean-? No! I mean… I don't… I…" She trailed off as her face turned redder and redder.

Blake stared at Ruby with wide eyes, a sharp denial on her lips, despite the fire inside her roaring in approval. She appreciated the sentiment, but there was no way she could let Ruby-

"Well, do you have a better idea!?"

Ruby's angry yell made Yang stop shouting, taking a step back in surprise. Weiss and Blake stared at her in shock. They'd never seen Ruby made before.

The room silent, Ruby took a deep breath. She then turned to Blake. "Blake, you said you needed a partner?"

Blake, still in shock, nodded slightly. "Y-Yes?"

"And you're sure it would help you with your heat?"

Blake stammered her response. "W-Well, yeah, but Ruby-"

Ruby just gave her an awkward smile, before turning back to Yang. " _Do_ you have any other ideas?" She asked honestly.

Yang looked down at her little sister, looking lost. "N-No, but-"

Ruby turned her head towards Weiss' the same question in her eyes. All Weiss could do was shake her head.

She glanced back at Blake, before staring up at Yang. Yang held her stared, before letting out a sigh.

"Ruby… don't you remember the talk we had? You know… the big one?"

Ruby nodded. "Yes, I do. You said I should save my first time for someone I love and I trust."

"Yeah, and-"

"I love Blake." Ruby said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world, making Blake blush. "I trust her, too."

Yang's eyebrow twitched, looking irritated. "That is _not_ what I meant and you know it."

Ruby shrugged. "So? I'd rather it be with Blake than someone I don't know as well. And it's to help her too."

Yang struggled for something to say. "Ruby…" She huffed. "You…"

Blake finally found her voice. "Ruby, I appreciate the sentiment, but I can't let you do this. Especially if it's your first time. You need to save that for someone special."

"You're special." Ruby replied bluntly, tilting her head in confusion.

"A-Are we really talking about this?" Weiss interjected, still red-faced. "I-I feel like things are getting a bit out of hand."

Ruby let out a sigh. "Look, Blake, you said this would pass in the morning?" Blake nodded, before Ruby looked towards the clock on the desk. "Well, morning is nine hours away. So, our choices are either Blake stays like this all that time, or…" She trailed off, her face turning red.

Blake searched for something, _anything_ she could say to dissuade Ruby, but her frazzled mind could think of nothing.

Yang looked back and forth between her sister and her partner. "I… you…" She turned to Weiss, who could only offer a helpless shrug, just as lost as her. Yang let out a growl of frustration. "Augh! Okay! Okay, okay, let's just… step back and look at the facts." She started pacing, her hands moving as she spoke. "Blake is in heat. She's all out of medicine. We are locked in the room, no way to leave. Only way we can think to help is…" She looked at Ruby. "Is… ugh! Weiss, gimme that scroll!"

Yang practically ripped the scroll form Weiss' hands, surprising the heiress, who fell back on her bed.

Yang kept pacing about the room, skimming through the web page from where they'd stopped before. _There's gotta be_ something _in here… increase in body temperature… increased desire for affection… phantom pain…_

 _Wait, what was that last part?_

Yang reread the portion of the article, but as she read further, her pacing slowed to a stop.

 _ **...when a female Faunus is at the height of her heat, her body temperature can reach a high of one-hundred-and-two to one-hundred-and-four degrees. It is at this point that the body will be at it's most receptive. During intercourse, the Faunus' brain will release a specific type of endorphin to help regulate body heat. If these endorphins are not released, the Faunus runs the risk of overheating, and in some cases, phantom pains, that will persist until their heat has passed…**_

Yang looked up from the scroll. Her worried eyes landed on Blake, who stared back with slitted eyes. Her face had grown redder, a visible tremble in her shoulders. Her ears were pinned against her head. Her breath was choppy.

 _She won't make it till morning. It'd be hell._

Yang took a deep breath, letting it out slowly through her nose. "Ohh… this is gonna be a weird night."

Ruby and Weiss looked at her, while Blake's eyes widened further. _Is she…?_

"Okay, I'm… I'm on board with this."

"WHAT!?" Weiss screeched, jumping up for her bed. All eyes turned to the heiress, who looked back in utter shock, mouth gaping. "Yang, are you serious!? You _and_ Ruby!? I don't even know where-"

She was cut off when Yang placed the scroll back in her hands. "Read." She said simply, tapping on the words she's read.

Weiss looked at the scroll, eyes trailing quickly over the words, before coming to a stop. Weiss looked up at Yang, looking uncomfortable, before turning away, sitting back down.

Yang gave a nod, before turning to Ruby. "Okay, Rubes, uh… I don't _want_ to ask, but I kinda _have_ to ask… do you even know who to… Dust I can't believe I'm saying this… Do you know how to have sex with another girl?" She said with a blush.

Ruby blushed back, speaking quietly. "Um… yeah, kinda…"

Yang let out a breath. "Okay, well, that simplifies-" She cut herself off, a thought hitting her. "Wait, _how_ do you know?"

Ruby's eyes widened, before she looked away, mumbling.

"Excuse me?"

Ruby spoke just slightly louder, enough that Yang could make out… "...under bed… underneath old jacket… magazines…"

Yang blinked, then facepalmed. "I thought one of those went missing." She took another breath. "Well then… Blake, what do you think?"

Blake, having watched and heard everything from her bed, just stared, gaze flickering between Yang and Ruby.

 _They… they really...? No, I-I can't. It's not…_ She flinched as a sudden burst of heat ripped through her. She was nearly at a breaking point.

She looked to Ruby, then Yang. Both looked back, small smiles, nervous but genuine, on their lips.

"You… you sure?" She asked, the words slipping out before she could think to stop them.

The sisters glanced at each other, before nodding. "Yeah, we're sure." Her lips quirked upwards. "Who knows? Could be fun." Yang looked back at Weiss. "What about you, Snowflake?"

Blake turned her gaze to Weiss, who was looking at the wall, chewing on her thumbnail. Her eyes flicked towards Blake, lingering for a long second, before looking away, face flushed.

"I… can I just think about this for a bit?" She said quickly, before staring into Yang's eyes. "Please?" She added softly.

After a moment, Yang nodded. "It's your choice. Not like you got drafted or something.

Weiss nodded back, grabbing her scroll as she made her way towards the bathroom. "Sorta feels like it, though." She mumbled under her breath as she closed the door.

The three stared after her, before turning back. "So…" Ruby started awkwardly… how do we do this?"

Yang shrugged. "Do what feels natural, I guess. So Blake, which of us lovely ladies gets the first honor?" She smirked slightly, her usual mirth coming back.

Blake blushed as her heat soared to new heights, heart thumping in her chest. _This is really happening,_ She thought. She did note that Ruby seemed a lot more nervous then Yang.

She smiled, Yang's humor seeping into her. "Well, seeing as Ruby got to kiss me already…" She said, giving Yang a look.

Yang took the hint, leaning in as Blake let the towel slip from her shoulders.

The last thing she felt before reason left her was Yang's soft lips against hers, the fire slowly calming down.

* * *

 **A/n: Don't worry, I will address the Weiss thing latter.**

 **First things first! In case the T-rating didn't give it away, this is not lemon story. Two main reasons for that: one, I suck at writing M-rated content. Trust me, I've tried it before, I just don't have the nack for it. Besides, I doubt anything I could write would live up to what your imaginations could come up with.**

 **The second, and more important, is that I'm trying to write actual story. This is not the tale of this one night. This story is about the aftermath; what comes next. How do we get from this one night to an actual relationship between four people. Plus, I have plans for a whole overarching story. Yeah, these last four chapters, and probably the next one? This is the** _ **setup**_ **for the story. We have not even begun.**

 **And, because I know someone out there is wondering, no, there is no Enabler in this story. I know Enabler is a thing, and I have no judgments against those who like it. I'm just not one of them. So rather than a Pollination story, this is actually a Ladybug, Bumblebee, Checkmate, White Rose, Freezerburn story, all in one… though, for simplicity's sake, I'll probably still call it a Pollination story. :)**

 **So, I'll see you all next chapter. Please take the time to review, because I really want this to be a good story, but I need to know what works and what doesn't so I can do that.**

 **Later!**


	5. Chapter 5: Thaw

**Chapter 5: Thaw**

 _Wow…_

Blake stared up at Yang's bunk as the memories flooded back. A smile grew across her face.

 _That… really happened._ She turned her head to look at Yang and Weiss, still slumbering in the morning light. She gazed down at Ruby, who shifted a little, nuzzling Blake's chest, making her blush.

 _I wish I could remember._

One problem with dealing with her heat as she did, was that her memories got hazier as the night went on. Everything passed that first kiss with Yang was a blur.

A hot, happy, blush-inducing blur.

A flash of white appeared in her memory. She looked at Weiss, who snored softly, her unkempt hair hiding half of her face. Like Ruby, she moved a bit, finding a comfortable place atop her blonde pillow.

 _I wonder how that happened?_ She thought, her last clear memory of Weiss being her hiding in the bathroom. Still, the sight made her smile. Seeing those two, usually at each-others throats, embracing each other in such a way, left a warm feeling in her chest.

"...hmm…"

Blake looked down at Ruby's little noise. Instead of waking up like she'd thought, Ruby just raised her head slightly, giving Blake a view of her sleeping face, her lips curled up in a smile.

A random thought entered her mind, and for once, Blake acted on it. Hesitantly, Blake gently placed her hand on Ruby's head, running her fingers through the girls short hair. Seeing the smile widen at her touch, Blake kept it up, gently massaging Ruby's scalp, a soft smile on her lips.

"Enjoying yourself, Blake?"

Blake froze. She slowly swiveled her head towards the voice.

Yang just grinned smugly at her, eyebrow raised above her open eyes.

Blake blushed at being caught. "I… um…"

Yang's grin faded to a reassuring smile. "Relax, kitty-cat," she whispered so as not to wake their still sleeping teammates. "I'm just messing with ya. You feeling better now?"

Blake relaxed, now assured that Yang wouldn't put her through a wall for touching her little sister. "Yeah. I feel much better now."

That was an understatement. Blake felt incredible. Most mornings after her heat, she'd wake up with a stiff body and a pounding head, like a bad hangover. Now, though, she felt amazing, warm and content in the morning light.

Yang nodded. "Good," She said softly. "That's good." Her gaze dropped a little, her smile growing slightly melancholy as she looked at Ruby, still snoring away.

Blake followed her gaze, noticing that she still had her hand on the leader's head. She removed it, before turning her attention back to the blonde. "Yang? Something wrong?"

Yang blinked rapidly, breaking from her trance as she looked back to Blake. "Huh? Oh, it's nothing, just…" Her eyes fell back to Ruby, smiling again. "I knew Ruby was gonna grow up someday." She let out a brief chuckle. "Just didn't think I'd get a front row seat when it happened."

Blake's eyes widened, regret worming into her chest. "Yang, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't even try it, Kitty-cat." Yang interrupted, a serious look in her eyes. " _You_ didn't do anything. It was her choice." Then a grin formed on her lips. "And weirdly enough… I'm kinda proud of her. How screwed up does that sound?"

Blake tried to smile back, but now doubt was working its way into her mind. She glanced at both Ruby and Weiss. Worrying thoughts formed in her head. She turned to Yang. "Um… I didn't… hurt any of you last night… did I?"

Yang gave her shocked, then very confused look. "What, you don't remember?"

To her surprise, Blake shook her head. "When a Faunus gives into their heat, we pretty much go off of pure instinct. I remember everything up to... well… our first kiss," She blushed slightly at the memory. "And then it's all a blur."

Yang frowned. "Well, that sucks. You don't remember anything?"

Blake thought hard. Brief glimpses of lips and touches flashed by, but nothing lasting. However, she did feel one thing.

"Happy." She said with a smile. "The whole night I remember being really happy."

Yang snorted. "That's an understatement." She muttered, causing Blake to blush deeper. Obviously _her_ memory was just fine. "No, you didn't hurt any of us. If anything, you were kind of... timid."

Blake's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Yang thought for a moment. "Well, it was kinda like you were just following our lead."

Blake's ears folded back a bit. "How so?"

"Like, with me, you were kinda aggressive; you didn't hold nothin' back and neither did I." Her cheeks tinted slightly at the mental image. "But with Ruby… you were hesitant… you waited for her to do something first, then you did the same. Does that make any sense?"

Blake thought for a moment. Then…

* * *

 _She pulled her lips away from Ruby's. Her ears folded back, a frown forming as she felt the uneasiness rolling off Ruby._

 _Ruby looked up at her from the bed, her throat moving as she swallowed nervously._

 _Blake tilted her head. Then she smiled. She grasped Ruby by the shoulders and fell on her side. With a small huff, she pulled Ruby on top of her._

 _Ruby blinked, suddenly finding their positions flipped. She looked down at Blake questioningly._

 _Blake just leaned up and rubbed her cheek along Ruby's. She laid back down, placing her arms on her side._

 _Ruby's eyes flickered to the side. "Wha-What do I do?"_

 _Yang's voice came from off to the side. "Whatever you think would make her feel good, sis."_

 _Ruby hesitated, before bringing her lips to Blake's neck. Blake let out a small coo at the feeling. Ruby pulled back quickly, concerned. "W-Was that okay?"_

 _Blake just smiled, nodding. She showed her neck in invitation._

 _Ruby smiled back nervously, before kissing Blake's neck again._

* * *

Blake smiled at the memory. "Yeah, I think it does," She turned her attention to the head of white laying on Yang's chest. "So, how did that happen?"

Yang, followed her gaze, a soft smile forming. "Well…"

* * *

 _I'm going to sue whoever made these earplugs._

Weiss stared down at her scroll, having read yet another article on Faunus mating habits. Just like all the others, this one was just a reworded version of the exact same information. She started typing again, searching for more information-

" _Ooohhh, Blaaaake!"_

Weiss' neverending blush deepened yet again.

 _Yes, definitely suing. Every infernal Lien they have._

For what felt like hours, Weiss had tried to tune out the muffled cries and moans coming from behind the wall. Emphasis on _tried_. Even with the simple earplugs she'd found in the medicine cabinet, she could hear every sound, every time the moan of Blake's name alternated from Yang to Ruby. And it was starting to get to her.

 _I wonder what it's like,_ she thought, not for the first time.

Yet again, she felt the impulse to open the door, to give in to curiosity, and yet again, she forced herself to stay sitting, her father's voice echoing in her head.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, she returned to her scroll. Maybe if I reword the question…

 _Click!_

Weiss was jolted from her thoughts as the bathroom door creaked open. Turning in surprise, she looked up at the intruder.

Yang stumbled into the bathroom, a dopey smile on her face. Her hair was disheveled, as was the tank top she'd haphazardly thrown on. Blake's towel was wrapped around her waist.

Weiss blushed at the look on her face, before turning away. "Yang, what are you doing in here?"

Yang blinked at her voice, looking down. "Ah, geez, sorry Weiss. Kinda forgot you were in here."

With a frown, Weiss pulled out the useless earplugs. "What do you mean you forgot?" She hissed indignantly.

Yang rubbed her neck sheepishly. "Well, I was kinda… preoccupied."

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "I'm well aware of _that_." She muttered. She looked at Yang from the corner of her eye. "So, um…" She started nervously. "Are you three… finished?"

The question surprised Yang. "Uh…" She poked her head out of the bathroom, her eyes falling on Blake's bed. Blake and Ruby were curled up together, the blankets just barely hiding their modesty. Ruby was humming softly as she scratched lazily at Blake's ears, who just lapped up the attention. Feeling her gaze, Blake slid one eye open, a hungry look in her slitted eye as she smiled.

Yang grinned back, before returning to Weiss, closing the door. "Nah, we're just taking a breather. I thought I'd just take a quick rinse-off." She made her way to the shower. "That okay?"

"Um…" Weiss stuttered, before turning away as Yang discarded her tank-top. "S-Sure." She kept her eyes to the side as she heard the towel hit the floor and the water turn on.

Weiss was fully intent to just keep her head down the whole time, until Yang started talking. "So, what have you been doing in here?"

Weiss chanced a look up, and was thankful that Yang had closed the shower curtain, leaving only a fuzzy outline of her body. "Just… waiting for you all to get done." She muttered.

The outline tilted its head. "Oh. So, that's a 'no' on joining in?"

Weiss shoved down an indigent splutter, settling for instead for feigned indifference. "You all seem to be doing fine on your own."

Even blurred, Weiss could just _feel_ Yang roll her eyes. "Ugh, fine, I'll shut up."

A minute or so passed, the only sound that of falling water. Weiss tried to focus on her scroll, but without meaning to, her eyes kept straying towards the shower.

"So, uh…"

Weiss closed her mouth with an audible _click!_ The words had fallen out without a thought, and Weiss didn't even know what question she'd been about to ask. She just hoped that Yang hadn't heard her.

"Yeah?"

 _Drat._

"Um…" Weiss struggled for a thought, many questions popping into her head as she tried to find one that wasn't inappropriate. Though given the circumstances... "Is everything… going okay?"

Yang chuckled behind the curtain. " _I_ think so. And from the way Blake looked just a bit ago, I think she'd agree with me."

Weiss blushed. _Well I knew_ that _. Stupid earplugs._ "And… Ruby? She's doing okay?"

Yang's form froze for a second, before giving an odd laugh. "Yeah, she's fine. Quick learner, too. A little too quick…" she mumbled the last part before trailing off.

A sudden thought struck Weiss, suddenly feeling as if all of her blood had rushed to her face. Pushing it away, she instead asked, "Isn't it a little... _awkward…_ y'know…"

"Doing it with my partner while my little sister watches?" Yang supplied as she shut off the shower. "Yes, Weiss, it's awkward as all hell."

Weiss fell silent, guessing Yang was a bit more volatile at the moment then she thought. "Sorry…" She mumbled.

After a moment, she heard Yang sigh. "It's not your fault. I'm just… coming to grips that my little sister ain't so little anymore."

Weiss swallowed down her nerves as Yang reached out of the curtain searching for her towel. "But… she is alright, right? Like… she's enjoying herself?"

Yang stopped at her tone. She poked her head out of the curtain and looked at Weiss. Weiss was still sitting against the wall, staring off to the side. Her face was beat red, but her expression… rather than embarrassment, like she'd figured, Weiss seemed more nervous and curious than anything else. "Why do you ask?"

Weiss shifted her weight a little, looking uncomfortable. "Well… she said this is her first time, and… I was just… making sure it was going… well…"

Yang frowned. This was new. Weiss always spoke very clearly whenever she had something to say. The only times she didn't was when she was flustered or really angry, and in those instances, she was always _loud_. But this… Yang had never heard her stumble over her words like this, especially with how _quiet_ she was, almost mumbling.

Making a quick decision, Yang wrapped herself in the towel and stepped out. Weiss didn't notice she was moving until Yang sat down on the ground right next to her. "Yang, what-"

"Spill."

Weiss flinched at the commanding tone. "Wha-what-?"

"Something's knocking around in that high-class head of yours," Yang said with a raised eyebrow. "So if you want to talk to somebody, nows the chance. So, spill."

Weiss stared at her, before turning away, indignant. "I have no idea what your…"

She trailed off when she saw Yang's unimpressed look out the corner of her eye. After a moment, her resolve crumbled. "It's… stupid." She sighed.

Yang let out a soft chuckle. "I'll be the judge of that. So…?"

Weiss was quiet, staring down at her hands as she twiddled with her fingers. "Is this… normal for you?"

Yang couldn't help but scoff. "Uh, a three-way involving my sister? Yeah, Weiss, _totally_ normal."

To her surprise, Weiss just shook her head, her face scrunching up in concentration. "No, I mean…" She glanced at Yang, before averting her gaze. "...being with a girl."

Yang blinked. _Ooohhhh…_ "For me? Yeah, pretty much."

Weiss was taken aback by her bluntness. "R-Really?"

Yang shrugged at her. "Well, yeah. Boys never really held an interest for me, y'know? I mean, they're fun to hang out with every now and then, but attractiveness? Eh."

"Oh." Was Weiss' only answer, staring back at her hands in thought.

Yang watched her for a minute, watching the nervous energy roll off her. "So… what about you?"

Weiss swallowed, expecting the question. "It's... complicated."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Yeah, see, everyone always says that, until they actually say things out loud. Talk to me Snowflake; you into chicks or d-?"

"Just-!" Weiss cut her off with an indignant squeak, before deflating. "Look, I just… can't be."

Yang was confused. "'Can't?' Can't be… what?"

Weiss huffed looking away. "I can't be… gay." She whispered.

Yang's frown deepened. "Okay, never heard _that_ before. 'Yes,' 'no,' 'I don't know,' but I've never heard someone say they 'can't' be gay. Something wrong with liking girls?"

Weiss shook her head, frowning. "No… at least… _I_ don't think so…"

Yang hummed, another piece of the puzzle clicking into place. "But, someone else does." She stated.

Weiss started, cursing her slip of the tongue.. After a moment, she closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath through her nose. _Well, I've gone this far._ "It's… it's my father."

Yang stayed quiet, sensing a touchy subject. Instead, she just dipped her head towards Weiss, motioning her to continue.

Weiss hesitated, before continuing. "He's… very conservative. To him, there's the status quo, and that's it. Human before Faunus… men with women. Anything that strays just a little bit outside the lines…"

Yang watched her as she fell silent. Then she looked around. Not seeing anything. she placed a hand above her eyes, squinting as she moved her head side to side.

Weiss looked at her like she was crazy. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for your dad." Yang said matter-of-factly. "Weird, I don't see him."

Weiss scowled at her, looking away. "I actually thought you taking this seriously…"

She was cut off when Yang lightly (for Yang) bopped her on the head. She whipped around to see Yang frowning. "I am being serious. He ain't here. In fact, and, correct me if I'm wrong, he's on another freaking continent right now, right?"

Weiss nodded, completely lost.

Yang smiled at her. "Well then, he ain't here to tell you what to do. Complication un-complicated."

Weiss blinked, her face softening a bit . A look of hope crossed her features, before being smothered by a scowl. "Maybe in your world." She muttered.

Yang grimaced. _O-kay, strike one._ She thought hard, looking for another way to make Weiss open up. "Well… how about this: hypothetically-"

"Ooh, big word," Weiss said mockingly.

Yang glared. "Shut it." She continued. "Hypothetically, let's pretend that your dad wasn't in the picture."

Weiss sighed. "Yang, he-"

"Ah ah ah!" She blocked her. "Pretending!"

Weiss rolled her eyes, relenting.

Yang went on. "If your dad wasn't a factor in this, whatsoever, which do you think you're attracted towards? Guys or girls?"

Weiss turned away, fully intending to ignore the question. As the silence stretched on, however, she glanced back at Yang. Rather than being frustrated like she'd assumed, Yang was simply looking at her, patiently waiting for an answer.

Weiss, tried to ignore her, but as the seconds ticked by, the question, kept repeating itself in her head. Finally, she gave up. Closing her eyes, she dipped her head down. "I...I never really thought about… I never let myself think about it." She clarified. "Not until tonight…"

Yang hummed at her words, hard at thought. "What about tonight?"

Weiss gave her an _'are you stupid?'_ look. "You three! We were having a normal night and then… Blake goes into heat and you and Ruby just… you made it seem so… simple."

Yang snorted, much to Weiss' surprise. "Yeah, wouldn't exactly call it _simple_. Mind explaining?"

"You just…" Weiss struggled to put her thoughts into words. "You and Ruby argued, but… the fact that Blake was a girl… you didn't even mention it. You made it seem like such a non-issue."

Yang could only shrug. "Well, it kinda is… at least to me. Ruby too, apparently."

Weiss shook her head, bemused. "Well, it's not to me. I mean… I don't even know if I'm attracted to girls or boys or… I just don't know!" She nearly screamed in frustration.

Yang frowned at Weiss' outburst. _Geez, this is really messing with her. How the heck do I-_

 _ **Ding!**_

Yang blinked. _Huh. That could work. Or make things ten times worse… Eh, worth a shot._

"Hey, Weiss?" The heiress looked up, finding Yang smiling down at her. "I can think of an easy way to know if you like girls, at least."

Weiss gave her a wary look. "What?"

"Well…" Yang droned, leaning against Weiss a bit. "You could kiss me."

…

" _ **WHAT!?"**_

Yang flinched away, ears ringing. "Ahh... simple 'no' woulda worked!"

"You, I, you, I, eh, uh… wha?" Meaningless sounds tumbled from Weiss' mouth as her eyes bugged out at the blonde.

Yang raised a brow at her, massaging her stinging ear. "It was just a thought. A quick kiss just to see if you were comfortable with a girl."

Weiss stumbled over her words for a reply. "B-But… me? Kiss you?"

Yang frowned a bit at her tone. "Well, you don't gotta say it like that."

Weiss' cheeks tinted. "S-Sorry. I didn't mean it like that, I just… you want to kiss me?"

The blonde paused at the nervous quiver in her voice. "Well… yeah, I guess. Why, something wrong with that?"

The red darkened. "N-No, not really. But, um… why?"

Yang tilted her head, much like Ruby would. "Uh… why not? I just thought it would be a way to help you out."

Weiss frowned. "How would you kissing me help me in any way?

"Makes sense to me. You don't like it, you don't like it. But if you do…" Yang shrugged. "What, is there something wrong with me? I could ask Ruby, if that'd make you more comfortable."

Weiss blushed deeper at the thought, pushing down the flustered feeling building inside her. "No, it's not you…"

"Then what? The thought of kissing a girl?"

"No, it's..." Weiss hesitated, then sighed. "It's because… I've never kissed anyone before. Ever."

Yang blinked. "Ever?"

"Ever."

"Oh." Yang said, turning away. She drummed her fingers on her knees. "Awkward." She mumbled.

The room went silent. Weiss' mind was a jumbled mess as she sifted through her thoughts.

 _Kiss Yang? Preposterous. The very idea… although… no, it wouldn't work… though it might… what if I don't like it?... what if I do?... what would that mean?... Ah, ridiculous! How could one kiss mean anything anyway? It's not as if I feel anything for her…_

She glanced over at Yang. When Yang glanced back, she quickly turned away.

 _Well… that's not entirely true… she's kind… if abrasive… she's protective… if a bit smothering… she's…_

She thought of the arm-punches, the fist bumps, the one-armed hugs Yang would subject her to on occasion, usually right out of the blue for no apparent reason. Her lips quirked a bit.

 _She's affectionate… in her own way… and accepting… trusting…_

Her eyes flicked to Yang, to her lips.

 _Maybe… just once…_

"Well!" Yang said suddenly as she moved to stand up, startling Weiss from her thoughts. "Sorry I wasn't much help to you, Snowflake. I better get back in their before Blake gets restless."

She was almost to her feet-

"Wait!"

Yang froze. Looking down, she saw Weiss' hand wrapped around her wrist, the heiress holding her head down a bit so she couldn't see her eyes.

"Weiss?" Yang questioned.

"...just one kiss?"

The words were so soft Yang almost missed them. A smile slowly spread across her face. "Yeah, just one."

"...and if I say I don't like it… you'll stop?"

Yang slowly sat back down, moving her arm so Weiss' hand fell into her own. "Just say the word."

Weiss swallowed nervously, turning to Yang. Her eyes shined with trepidation. "H-How exactly…?"

Yang laughed softly. "Just lean forward a bit. I'll do the rest."

Weiss hesitated, before leaning forward slowly, _ever_ so slowly, closing her eyes.

Soft. That was surprising. Everything about Yang screamed strength, but when their lips connected, all Weiss could think about was how soft Yang's lips were against her own. Soft and _warm_.

 _Well… it doesn't feel bad._ Weiss thought as Yang moved her lips against hers. She pressed forward slightly against the blonde. _Actually, it's… rather nice._

Yang let out a small chuckle when she felt Weiss lean further into the kiss. _I wonder if…_

Weiss tensed when she felt something poke lightly at her lips. It took her a second to realize it was Yang's tongue, asking for entry.

Nerves almost made her break the kiss, but… after a moment… curiosity won out.

Weiss parted her lips slightly, and Yang's tongue darted in, gently brushing against her own. Hesitantly, Weiss pushed back, Yang acting in kind.

Seconds ticked passed as Weiss lost herself. By some mutual understanding, they broke apart slowly, Weiss only then noticing the heat in her cheeks. She opened her eyes, finding Yang smiling softly at her.

"Well?" She asked quietly.

Weiss stared back, before clearing her throat awkwardly. "Well, um… it wasn't… unpleasant."

Yang raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

After a moment, Weiss relented. "Okay, it felt… nice… very nice." She said, her blush deepening.

Yang's smile grew. "Good to know." She glanced at the door. "I wasn't kidding, ya know. Blake's still raring to go, and I don't really like the idea of Ruby dealing with that all on her own."

Weiss blinked, suddenly remembering the whole reason this had started in the first time. She nodded slowly. "Y-Yeah. You should probably go back in."

Yang gave her a long look, before getting to her feet, towel still wrapped around her. She put her hand on the doorknob, but stopped. She turned to Weiss. "Y'know, the offer still stands."

Weiss looked up at her, fully aware of what she was asking. She hesitated. _Kissing is one thing, but… do I really want to…?"_

"...could we stop?" She asked nervously. "If I don't like it?"

Yang just nodded, understanding. "If you feel uncomfortable, Weiss, ya just gotta say 'no'. I don't wanna force you to do something you don't want to."

Weiss still hesitated. She felt nervous… no, if she was honest with herself, she felt scared. She was so far out of her element, so out of her depth. She had no idea what would happen, and she hated that.

 _But…_ She stared into Yang's eyes, looking back at her with warmth and acceptance. So much in those lavender orbs that she'd never received from anybody.

 _I trust her._ Weiss was surprised by how unexpected that revelation was.

Hesitantly, Weiss raised her arm towards Yang. Yang's smile grew even further, pulling the smaller girl to her feet.

"I'm trusting you." She said softly.

"I know, Snowflake."

* * *

 **A/n: Well that should be it for the 'looking back' stuff. From here on in, plot ahead full!**

 **Read and Review, if it ain't too much trouble.**


	6. Chapter 6: Good Morning

**Chapter 6: Good Morning**

"...and that's pretty much it. After that, we just kinda..." Yang made a wave motion with her arm. "Go'd with the flow."

Blake smiled as Yang finished speaking. She looked at the sleeping heiress, reaching over to brush a strand of hair from her face. "So… did she like it?"

Yang smirked. "Oh yeah. Took her a little while to get comfortable, though. Weirdly, I think Ruby being there helped her a bit."

Blake nodded, smiling back at Yang. "I think that was really sweet, you helping Weiss get through that."

Yang blushed a little at the praise. "Yeah, well, I think she just needed someone to vent to." Though she tried to laugh it off, she raised her arm a bit, resting her hand on Weiss' head, fingers trailing over white hair.

"Really?" Blake said, an idea forming at the rather tender act. "Sure there wasn't any… _other_ reason?" She asked with a smirk of her own.

Yang sent her a joking glare, well aware of what Blake was going for. "Yeah, actually, it was all an elaborate ploy to get into Princess' pants. You cracked the case, Sherlock Blake." She said sarcastically."

Blake giggled a bit. She glanced towards wallclock. Nine A.M. "So, should we wake up Ruby and Weiss?"

Yang thought about it for minute, then shook her head. "Nah, let'em sleep. Besides, it's Saturday. Perfect day to laze around in bed."

Blake rolled her eyes at her partners laziness. Although, with the way the sunlight was shining on her, and how warm and soft Ruby was on top of her…

"Works for me." Blake said, closing her eyes, feeling like she could go back to sleep herself.

She relaxed for about ten minutes, just listening to Weiss and Ruby breathe softly in their sleep, her ears twitching whenever one of them gave a particularly loud snore. After a while though. she started to get the feeling she was being watched.

"Something wrong, Yang?" She asked, her eyes sliding open.

Yang blushed at being caught. "Sorry, it's just…" Her eyes drifted to the top of Blake's head.

Blake blushed in kind. It was only then that she realized that, aside from the night before, this was the first time Yang had seen her ears. Actually, this was the first time _anyone_ outside the White Fang had seen her ears. Now that her heat had passed, there was nothing occupying her thoughts, nothing to distract her.

If anything, it made her feel even more naked than she already was.

"Yes…?" She asked hesitantly, feeling wary.

Yang glanced at her ears again, before giving an awkward smile. "Can I?" She asked softly.

Blake swallowed. If it was anyone else, she would have taken that question as an insult. Her ears were _not_ some novelty to be gawked at and fussed over. That kind of attitude made her blood boil fairly often.

But… this was Yang. Blake knew her, how she thought. There was no ulterior motive, no underhanded reason. Just simple curiosity.

With a little trepidation, Blake nodded her head. Nodding back, Yang raised her free hand, gently cupping Blake's ear.

"Soft…" She whispered as her fingers rubbed lightly against fur. She carefully traced her fingers from the tip of Blake's ear to the base, feeling the subtle shift from fur to hair.

Blake tensed at her touch. It had been so long since someone had touched her ears so gently, haze of heat notwithstanding. A small shiver went down her spine as Yang trailed over the point where her ears met her skull.

The rumble in her chest was sudden, involuntary. With a sharp intake of breath, she stopped, eyes wide as she flinched away from Yang's touch.

Yang pulled her hand back, worried. "Did I do something wrong?" She asked.

Blake looked at her in shock. Yang thought _she_ did something wrong? Blake was the one who… did she not just hear what Blake did? The very obvious, very _un-human_ sound she had made?

"D-Didn't I just…?"

"Purr? Yeah." Yang cocked her head to the side. "Isn't that… a good thing? I thought that meant that you were happy?"

Blake felt a blush forming. "Y-Yes, technically… but…" She gave Yang an odd look. "You don't think that's... wierd?"

Yang just stared back, confused. "Should I? Is purring a bad thing?"

Blake was utterly confused. "You don't think it is?"

Yang raised an eyebrow, baffled. "Why would I? You were purring a lot last night… among other things."

Blake's eyes widened. "I was?" She whispered, mortified.

"Pretty much every time we took a break. You'd curl up next to one of us and started purring. We thought it just meant you were happy." She frowned. "Were we wrong?"

Blake looked back into her questioning eyes, a slurry of emotions forming in her gut. "It's... complicated."

Yang's eyes narrowed slightly, a rebuttal on her lips. Blake spoke quickly to explain. "Look, it's just… I haven't let myself purr in a long time." She swallowed. "I'm not really comfortable talking about it. "

Yang's look grew sympathetic. She was quiet, before asking. "Do you want to, though?"

Blake glanced away. After debating in her head, she gave Yang a long look. "I'm not really… supposed to."

Yang furrowed her brow. "Why? Is it a Faunus thing?"

Blake gave a stiff nod. "...Faunus have been trying to prove to humanity that we are no different from them for decades. But… we are in certain ways. Purring, growling, barking; just… things that we instinctively want to do… but when we act like… like _animals…_ " She said the word with disdain. " We tend to get treated as such."

Yang's eyes widened. "Blake, I… you know I'd never…"

Blake shook her head at her. "I know you wouldn't." She looked down at the sleeping Ruby, then over to Weiss. "None of you would. And…" She smiled at Yang. "You have no idea how happy that makes me."

Yang smiled back. "No problem." She paused, her voice growing softer. "Y'know… You purring wouldn't change that."

Blake tensed at the thought. She knew Yang was telling the truth, and… hell, after last night, purring seemed rather tame by comparison. Still…

Blake took a breath, forcing herself to relax. She looked nervously at Yang. "Could you… scratch my ears again?" She asked, blushing.

Yang gave her a small smirk. She reached up gently, just barely ghosting her nails over skin.

Blake practically melted at the touch. She leaned towards Yang, prompting the blonde to scratch harder. Her lips quirked at the feeling.

Deep in her chest, Blake could feel the trembling sensation building. For a few seconds she held back, but Yang's words played in her head. With a shaky breath, Blake purposefully let go, for the first time in ten years.

Yang's grin grew as Blake's rumbling filled the room. A look of contentment formed on the Faunus' face, a true smile stretching across her lips.

Blake had been so tense and guarded the last few months. Even after getting outed, she always distanced herself from the rest of them, even though Yang was starting to suspect Blake didn't even realize she was doing it. It made Yang feel like a bit of a failure that Blake couldn't even let herself trust her own partner.

So seeing Blake so undeniably, honestly happy made put a warm, fuzzy feeling in Yang's chest,

 _First Weiss, now Blake. If this huntress thing doesn't work out, maybe I should be a counselor… nah, too boring._

Blake's purring held steady as the minutes ticked by. Yang was starting to think that she could stay there all day, listening to Blake purr and Weiss snore on top of her.

"...uh?... wazzat?"

Yang stopped scratching at the noize, causing Blake to pause in her purring. Their attention was drain to head of red-tipped hair raising itself from Blake's chest.

Grey eyes blinked sleepily in the up at Blake's surprised face, Ruby smiled. "Oh… morning Blake."

Blake recovered quickly. "Good morning Ruby."

Ruby tilted her head slightly. "Are you feeling better now?"

Blake smiled softly at the concern in her voice. "Much, Ruby. Thank you."

Ruby just nodded happily back. "That's good." And with that, her head fell back onto Blake's chest, eyes closed.

Now Blake tilted her head. "Did… she just fall back asleep?"

Yang snorted. "No, she just wants us to think she did. Don't ya, sleepy head?"

A single grey orb slid open at the blonde. Ruby's only response was to stick out her tongue, before closing her eye again.

Blake and Yang chuckled at her childishness. Blake turned her gaze towards their last still-sleeping team member. "Think we should wake Wiess up now?"

Yang looked down at the girl in question. "Yeah, we are three for four. Might as well complete the set." She gave Weiss' shoulder a small shake. "Weiss? Oh, Weiss…!" She whispered. The heiress groaned a little, but stayed sleeping. Yang shook her a little harder. "C'mon Weiss, I know I'm comfy and all, but it's wake up time."

This time worked. Weiss gave a groan of discontentment. "Uh… Yang…" She muttered half-asleep as she pushed herself up, lifting her head from what she thought were pillows. "What is so importa-" She cut herself off as she opened her eyes, head still down.

Those weren't pillows.

She slowly looked up, finding Yang's smirking face inches from her, laughter in her eyes.

"Morning, Snowflake."

Weiss' face tinted pink, the color growing deeper and deeper as the rush of memories came flooding back.

Ruby opened her eyes again at the lack of response. "Is Weiss okay? She's turning really red."

Yang stifled a snort, glancing briefly at Ruby. "I think her brain's melting."

Weiss' eyes slowly panned across the bed, Blake stifling a laugh as her face grew redder and redder as she Blake and Ruby's position, and their lack of clothing. The topper was when she slowly looked down at herself, and the look on her face as saw nothing but skin. She tilted her head up mechanically.

"Yang?"

"Yeah?"

"...were naked."

"Yup."

"And we all…?"

"Uh huh."

"Oh. _Oh_. Ooohhh, dear." Weiss' head slowly lowered itself down onto Yang's chest, her face a deeper shade of red then Ruby's cloak. Weiss' face was almost disturbingly blank as she just stared off into nothingness.

Yang chuckled. "Aaaand we broke her."

Ruby, however, looked concerned. "Weiss?" She asked, lightly poking Weiss' cheek. "You okay?"

Blake grew slightly worried when Weiss' only reaction was to dimly focus on Ruby's finger. But then Weiss closed her eyes, taking and releasing a deep breath. She opened her blue eyes, the makings of a smile on her lips. "I'm fine, Ruby. Just… wow." She let out a nervous laugh. "We, uh… we actually did that… didn't we?"

"Yep." Yang said, brushing a strand of hair from Weiss' eyes. When Weiss looked up at her, she smirked. "Pretty fun, wasn't it?"

Weiss rolled her eyes a little, though the smile never left her face. "That's one word for it, I suppose."

"So… can I say, 'I told you so,' now?"

Weiss lightly punched her shoulder. "Don't push it." She grumbled, still smiling. Then her eyes trailed back to Blake,. "Are you, um… back to normal, Blake?" She asked awkwardly.

Blake nodded, her never-ending grin widening. "Yes, Weiss, I feel much better. In fact," She let out a happy sigh, her head falling back on her pillow. "I feel _wonderful_."

Yang laughed at the look of contentment on Blake's face. "Wow. Girls, we are _good_."

"Oh, hush." Weiss chided, slapping Yang's arm. Though, she did feel rather accomplished at seeing Blake's happiness, She looked at the clock. Almost Ten. "We should probably get up soon."

"Aw, c'mon Weiss, it's the weekend." Yang pouted.

Blake resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Sorry Yang, but I agree. Nice as this is, there are some things I want to do today."

Yang shot her a half-hearted glare. "Traitor…" She groaned. She turned her attention to her sister, who had once again closed her eyes. "Rubes, I think we've been beat. Get up."

Ruby opened a single eye, and stared at Yang for a second.

"No." She said tersely, reaching behind her and pulling the covers over her head.

Yang rolled her eyes. "Ruby get up."

"No."

"Ruby, get off of Blake."

"But she's _waaarm…_ " Ruby whined, eliciting a blush from Blake.

Yang deadpanned at the covered bundle lying on top of her partner. She looked at Weiss, then at Blake. She smirked.

And promptly shoved Ruby off the bed.

"Wha-!?" _THUD._

Yang chuckled, only to start laughing as Weiss franticly tried to cover herself, as the sheets had followed Ruby off the bed. She shot Yang a glare.

"Oh, lighten up, Princess. Ain't like we didn't see everything last night." Weiss' only response was to glare harder, blush deepening.

Ruby popped up, finally untangling herself from the sheets. "Yaaang! No fair!"

Yang just laughed. "All's fair in love and war, sis."

Ruby pouted. Then she smirked. "Well, in that case… dibs on first shower!"

"Wait, wha-"

In a blur of red, Ruby, flashed to the dresser, then the closet, then to the bathroom door. She stopped after opening the door, a bundle of clothes in her arms, giving the three a mock salute.

Blake pressed a hand to her mouth, stifling a laugh at the leader's antics. But then, just as Ruby was about to enter the bathroom, Blake noticed something strange. For just a second, she could have sworn she saw something red and purple on Ruby's left shoulder. Her eyes widened.

 _Was that…?_

Ruby disappeared into the bathroom, the click of the lock echoing in the dorm.

"Oh, she did not just do that!" Yang yelled as she pushed herself up, Weiss sliding off her to the side. Blake leaned back as Yang climbed over her, watching as the blonde ran to the door and tried to open it. "Wha- I thought I broke this last night! Ruby, today's my day to shower first!"

"I can't hear you!~"

"LIAR!"

"And just like that, we're back to normal." Weiss grumbled, pulling the sheets up from the floor to cover herself. As she leaned down, her hair fell to the her right side. Blake looked to her, and gasped.

 _No._

Weiss froze at the sound, looking to Blake in alarm. "Blake? What's wrong?" Blake said nothing, just staring at Weiss with wide eyes. Confused, Weiss followed her gaze-

"What the…?"

On Weiss' left shoulder, just beside her collarbone, was a spot of deep purple two inches across, around which was a ring of what were unmistakingly teeth marks.

Weiss tentatively placed her hand over the mark, Her face scrunched up in confusion as she ran her fingers of the raised edges of the bite. "When…?"

"Whoa." Yang said, having noticed the pairs reactions. Weiss looked over at her, eyes widening as she pointed.

"Yang, you have one too!"

Blake's head snapped towards Yang right as the blonde looked down. Sure enough, Yang had a twin of Weiss' mark in the exact same spot.

 _No no no._

Yang blinked at the bite. "Huh. How the heck'd I miss that?"

"Hey guys?" Ruby called uncertainly from the bathroom. "Do any of you have bite mark on your shoulder?"

Yang looked towards the room. "Yeah, Ruby. We do too." She then raised an eyebrow as her eyes panned over to Blake. "Except Blake." She added.

"Oh. Okay." Ruby went silent as the shower turned on.

Blake just stared dumbly at the marks, head swiveling between Weiss and Yang. "I… I don't…"

"Heh." Yang let out a laugh, suddenly smirking. "Didn't peg you for a biter, Blake."

Blake's cheeks tinted horribly, still stunned. "I… I…"

Yang giggled. "Relax, Blake. It's just a little love bite. It doesn't even hurt." Her expression then turned thoughtful. "Weird, though. Don't really remember this from last night."

Blake swallowed, Weiss shooting her a look. Weiss then grumbled a bit about how she hoped she could hide the bite with her clothes collar.

Blake mustered up a smile, her ears tilting back slightly. "S-Sorry. Must have been a… 'heat of the moment' thing."

Yang blinked at her, before laughing. "Dang, you stole my joke!"

Blake laughed back as Weiss rolled her eyes. "You and your puns…" She muttered as she got off the bed, walking to the dresser holding the sheets around her. "So, what do you think the lockdown was for last night?"

"I dunno. They'll probably tell us later today."

Blake held her smile as she watched Yang and Weiss get ready for the day, catching the shirt and pants that Yang suddenly through her way. As she slipped them on, however, she kept her eyes glued to the two bites on her friends, contrasting against their clear skin, mocking her.

On the outside, she smiled.

On the inside, she panicked.

 _This… this isn't right… it's… it's just like Yang said, just a few love bites, nothing more… there not… they can't be… I couldn't have given them..._

With growing dread, Blake flared her aura slightly, just a tiny pulse that no one would notice. Her stomach dropped when both marks faintly glowed purple, Yang scratching absently at hers.

 _...a Mate's Mark._

* * *

 **Professor Ozpin's Office**

Professor Ozpin frowned down at the scroll in his hand. On his desk sat a cup of coffee, cold and forgotten.

He looked up across the desk. Glynda Goodwitch, stood on the other side, looking grim.

"You're sure this is all the information they took?"

"Yes, sir." She said, frowning.

Ozpin let out a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Whoever broke in is long gone by now. Lift the lockdown. "

Goodwitch nodded, spinning on her heel as she left the room.

Ozpin looked out his window, at the morning sun rising in the sky.

"Who are you?" He asked himself, looking towards the city of Vale off in the distance.

* * *

 **Unknown Location**

He watched the video for the hundredth time. Little Red zipping across the docks. The cat Faunus fighting of White Fang like it was second nature. Monkey boy making a mockery of his efforts. And the orange haired girl…

What kind of kid can shoot laser beams!?

Roman threw down his scroll in frustration. Things use to be so easy. Run around town, smash and grab, make a quick buck. And the White Fang had seemed like such a good idea, too. More people, more hands, more money in his pocket, more guns if things went south. Perfect!

And then Little Red and her freak parade showed up.

Roman slumped into his rolly chair, rubbing at his nose. He glanced at the clock.

 _She should be hear by now. Where the heck-_

Creak...

Roman's head popped up, smiling slyly as his favorite partner in crime walked through the door, clad in bright pinks and dark browns, a parasol perched on her shoulder.

"Neo!" He called out happily. "My favorite little thief-slash-hitgirl! Did you get it?"

Neo rolled her mismatched eyes at his overacting. She reached into her blouse, before fishing out a flash drive.

Roman's grin grew. "I knew you could do it! Now… come to papa!"

He made a grab for the flash drive, only for Neo to pull it away, holding it over her head. She raised an eyebrow, before rubbing her fingers together with her other hand.

Roman pouted, before digging into his pocket. "Oh, fine." He grumbled, before tossing a yellow packet at Neo.

Neo caught it easily, opening it. She pulled out a stack of Lien, flipping through it lazily.

Roman rolled his eyes. "It's all there. Twenty-thousand, just like always, ya little bloodsucker."

Neo smirked at him, tossing over the flash drive. She then sighed as he fumbled his catch nearly dropping it. Finally, with a cry of victory, he caught it, ecitedly scooping up his scroll as he plugged the drive in.

He smiled gleefully as all the new information poured across his screen. Names, pictures, weapons, skills, team names; everything he could ever hope to know about the students of Beacon Academy.

"Okay, Little Red," He said to himself. "Just who are you?"

* * *

 **A/n: Well… that's a thing.**

 **As always, let me know what you liked and please tell me what I utterly screwed up. I've gotten a lot of support on this story a lot faster then I thought I would, so thank you to everyone who Faved, Followed, and Reviewed. You're all making me a better writer bit by bit.**

 **Next chapter might take a little longer. I want to get a chapter up on another story that I've been neglecting for a while, much to my shame. I'll see you all when I see you!**


	7. Chapter 7: Contemplation

**Chapter 7: Contemplation**

Beacon's library was one of Blake's favorite places. Far larger than any bookstore could compare too, and with such an extensive range of subjects. Always quiet and peaceful, never overcrowded. Most days, Blake would spend hours on end with a stack of books, happily oblivious to the rest of the world.

Today was not one of those days.

Blake sat in the corner of the library, at a small table away from prying eyes. She held her head in her hands, elbows propped on the table. She stared down at the book before her, dread filling her with each word she read. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess.

 _It just… it can't be possible. I couldn't have really… Marked them…_

She re-read the passage.

… **It should be noted that a Faunus pursuing human mates is, at best, risky.**

 **Due to differing biology, the human brain lacks the capability of reciprocating a Faunus' mating instinct. As such, humans are unable to create the mutual bond needed to form a Mate's Mark of their own.**

 **However, their bodies** _ **are**_ **capable of receiving a Mate's Mark from a Faunus. In fact, it is easier for a human to receive a Mate's Mark than a Faunus. Whereas two Faunus must have a mutual trust in one another to form a lasting bond, humans need only the barest form of attraction towards the Faunus in question. This makes them, essentially, a blank slate, capable of receiving a Mate's Mark with little to no effort on their part, needing only a Faunus' feeling towards them.**

 **Faunus in such a relationship put themselves at great emotional and mental risk forming such a bond. Care must be taken before a Faunus Marks a human as their mate, with great consideration from both parties.**

Blake closed her eyes with a sigh, closing the book. She'd read those lines a dozen times and they weren't changing anytime soon.

"Damn it." She muttered quietly.

 _Why?_ That's all she could think as she made her way out of the library, a stack of books under her arm.. Being the weekend, the school halls were nearly empty, allowing her to march ahead unimpeded.

' _Needing only a Faunus' feelings towards them…'_ She shook her head as she rounded a corner _. But I don't feel that way towards them!... Do I?_

Her pace slowed slightly, a thoughtful frown forming. _I… I guess I never gave it any real thought before… but still! Yes, I care for them, all of them, but… they're just my friends! Nothing more._

A sharp twinge in her chest brought her to a stop. She blinked, looking down as she slowly placed a hand over her heart.

 _What was that?_ She thought for a moment, before saying out loud, "I don't love Ru-"

Another twinge. It wasn't painful, just… uncomfortable, like her heart had beat a little too hard.

Narrowing her eyes, she tried again. "I don't love Wei-"

Again.

Frustrated, she huffed. In a calm clear voice, she said, "I do not love Ya-"

 _ ***Ba-thump***_

Okay, _that_ one stung a bit. Blake's hand clutched at her chest, She hissed slightly, before marching ahead, thoughts swirling.

 _Why? Why does my chest hurt? They're just words, they don't mean anything. The bond's not even fully formed ye- no, there_ is _no bond. It was just an accident. I didn't choose to Mark them, and they didn't want to be Marked. They don't even know what those bites are. So I shouldn't feel anything when I say that I don't love them-_

 _ ***Ba-thump***_

Her hand flew to her chest as she flinched slightly.

 _Unless…_

Her frown deepened.

 _Am… am I lying to myself?_

A sudden breeze pulled her from her thoughts. Looking up, she noticed that she had somehow made it outside. A few students milled around the campus grounds, but for the most part, the area was empty. Her eyes trailed towards a particular tree, one that she sometimes read under on pleasant days.

Blake sighed deeply, before moving towards the tree, finding a comfortable spot, she sat beneath it, setting the books in her lap.

 _Okay, let's go through this slowly… Yang._

Her partner seemed an obvious place to start. Yang was strong, loyal, free-spirited. She was hot-headed, loud, blunt. She…

Blake shook her head. _No… no, that's the wrong way to go about it. That's just_ what _she is. I need to think about_ who _she is… who she is to me._

Yang was… warm. Just being around her made Blake safe, as if all of life's problems would be solved so long as her partner was involved. Always there, always willing to listen, to help, to protect. If the whole world turned against her, she knew… she _knew_ that Yang would be by her side, ready to take it all on.

Truth be told… Blake had already felt the beginnings of a crush forming rather recently. So the idea of becoming mates…

Blake felt her lips start to curl up, before she forced them back to a firm line.

 _Okay… Yang makes sense… Ruby._

Ruby was… bright. So much energy, so much happiness. Just standing next to her could lift Blake's mood. The fifteen ("soon to be sixteen!" Ruby kept reminding them) year-old was one of, if not the only pure thing in Blake's life, seemingly uncorrupted by the pain and darkness the world threw their way.

And she was so accepting of everything! The girl didn't care who or what you were, or what you did. All she wanted was for people to be happy. Naïve? Maybe, but if anyone could pull it off, Blake felt Ruby could.

And… she was so understanding. As much as she loved talking with Blake, she always knew when to back off a subject. When Blake hit a point where she didn't want to talk anymore, Ruby stopped. She never pushed, just giving Blake that small smile that said, 'When you're ready to talk, I'll listen.'

Ruby was a bright light in the darkness she'd been living in, a beacon of what the world could hold. The thought of losing that…

 _ ***Ba-thump***_ Her heart beat hollowly in her chest.

 _I… I guess I do feel that way towards Ruby… It's… different from how I feel about Yang, but only slightly… and it's a good different. I… I can see her as a good mate… that just leaves…_

 _Weiss._

Blake frowned slightly at the thought of the heiress, a flurry of confusing and conflicting emotions forming as she tried to put her feelings into words.

 _Weiss… She… how could I feel that way towards her? We have nothing in common. She's from high society, the upper-class. I'm… well, a Faunus._

Blake's bow twitched slightly as she fought the urge to fold her ears back.

 _Why? Why would I Mark her? What am I missing? She's a good friend, yes, but… as a mate? She barely knows anything about me, or I her! She doesn't know what my life was like. She doesn't know what it's like to be a Faunus. So why?_

Again, Blake tried to remember what happened that night, at what point she had given each of her team a Mark. After a full minute of nothing but brief flashes and broken sounds, she let out a growl.

 _I just don't get it. Yes, I like Weiss, but… Uh!_

Frustrated, Blake sifted through the books on her lap. If her own mind was so set on thinking in circles, she could at least look for more information to keep going. She finally settled on a well-worn tome, it's pages yellowed from age. On it's brown cover, the title was stamped in simple bold text:

 **The Basics of Faunus Culture, Vol. 2**

Blake nearly rolled her eyes at the simplistic title. The book was several decades old, maybe older than most of the teachers, but it was surprisingly informative. It and it's sister volumes were some of the only books Blake had read about Faunus as a species that had little to no bias, just cold fact. Considering that it was written by a team of Faunus and human, Blake held the book with care, as it was proof that the two species could work together.

She opened the book, flipping through faded pages as she searched for… _Ah, there it is._

 **Forming a Mate's Mark is a simple, yet difficult task.** **For two Faunus to Mark one another, three things are needed: deep-seated affection, unshakable trust, and, above all, mutual respect. Both Faunus must have these three traits in equal supply, or else one or both of the involved parties Auras will be rejected, and the Marking process will fail. Should both Faunus prove equal to each other, and their Auras are accepted by one another, a basic Mark will form over the skin within the bite…**

Blake's eyes trailed off the page as she mulled over the words.

 _Affection, trust, and respect… real specific..._ She thought sarcastically. She mulled over her team members, applying each trait to them.

 _Ruby and Yang certainly fit the bill, but Weiss… she's so frustrating! She's elitist, always so high-and-mighty, she's cold at times, hot-tempered at others… she… she..._

* * *

" _ **You told me you were once a member of the White Fang, the organization that's been making my family's lives, and by extension my life, a living hell... If that couldn't make me hate you, what makes you think this could?"**_

* * *

 _... She's trying so hard._

Blake thought hard about Weiss' actions since discovering she was a Faunus. Weiss though she was clever, but Blake was a master at hiding things; she could see the signs. The way Weiss would open her mouth to speak, then snap it shut almost violently. The way her eyes would trail over her bow, or Velvet's ears, or Sun's tail, before breaking away, her lips pursed in a tight frown. Any time anything Faunus related came up, Weiss would have the same reaction, almost like she was censoring herself.

And… there was a reason Blake didn't see _**The Basics of Faunus Culture, Vol. 1**_ on the shelf when she searched for books. Though she tried to keep it a secret, Blake had caught her a few times in the late hours, well passed when they all should be sleeping, reading a similar brown book to the one she held now. She hadn't gotten very far into it, only reading it when she was sure that her team couldn't see her (at least those that _didn't_ have night vision), but it showed Blake one every important thing:

Weiss was willing to learn. She was willing to see the other side of the story, not just the one her family had painted for her. Willing to question everything she'd ever known.

 _Just like I did with the White Fang._

Blake let out a sigh. _Okay, I respect her… and I trust her… but… affectionate? We've gotten closer, but… when would that have turned into…_

…

Blake's eyes slowly widened.

* * *

 _ **"You're our friend, Blake. We don't care that you're a Faunus, or whether you're normal or not. You're a member of our team, and we trust you with our lives. We love you."**_

 _ **"Couldn't have said it better myself, little sis. Sorry Blake. You couldn't make us hate you if you tried."**_

 _ **"Ruby's right. You are my friend. Nothing can change that."**_

* * *

Blake felt her lips pull upwards, and she didn't stop them.

 _ **We love you.**_

 _When was the last time someone told me that? …_ has _anyone told me that?_

Blake felt her eyes well up, before she wiped away the start of tears.

Ruby's words replayed in her head, and Yang and Weiss' actions showed no denial. In fact, they enforced the sentiment.

 _Okay… I see it now… how I can feel that way towards Weiss… how all of them… I… I love them._

Blake's smile slowly fell to a worried frown.

 _But… do they…_ could _they... love me the same way?_

Blake was thoughtful for a few minutes. She looked down at the books in her lap, a thought striking her. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, flaring her aura.

In her mind's eye, Blake pictured a black void, empty of all sight and sound.

 _How to do this… I should just be able to extend my aura and… there!_

Eyes still closed, Blake turned her head to the right, She felt a small tug, like her aura was reaching for something. She focused in that direction, blocking out all sounds around her.

Off in the distance, a something glowed faintly… warmly… yellow? Wait, now she felt something… excitement? Satisfaction?

Blake opened her eyes, and found herself looking towards the Combat Room. Her brow furrowed for a moment, before her eyes widened in realization.

 _Yang challenged Nora to a spar earlier...that was Yang's aura!_

As if Yang's excitement was her own, Blake closed her eyes, eager to try again. It took her a moment to relax as she had been, before searching out again.

After five minutes of nothing but the initial pull, Blake was getting discouraged. _Was it a fluke? Or… was Yang's Mark the only one to work?_

But just as she was about to give up, she felt her aura pull ever so slightly behind her. Craning her neck, Blake tried to zero in on the weak feeling. It was faint, extremely so, but after a moment...

Through the black void, two pinpricks of light shown through the darkness. One, bright, excited, hopeful… red? The other… tight, slightly stressed, not cold, but… frosty and… white?

Again, the ghost of emotions washed over her. From the red, she felt happiness and… curiosity? And from the white… annoyance, exasperation, but also… endearment?

Blake opened her eyes, this time faced with… nothing… she frowned in confusion, before she thought a bit. Far off in the distance… the city of Vital.

 _That's right… Weiss and Ruby went into town to restock supplies, maybe do some window shopping._

Blake could just imaging the situation. Ruby, bouncing all around the street, oohing and ahhing at anything that caught her eye, as Weiss trailed behind her, trying and failing to rein in her partners excitement.

Blake sighed in awe. _All the way from Vital… and it's not even a complete bond yet… It works. They're real Mate's Marks._

Blake felt both very happy and very worried. _What am I going to tell them. How do I explain to this to them? And… will they even accept it? Three mate's… most Faunus would balk at the thought… three humans? And the Schnee heiress to boot? What if-?_

Her breath hitched.

 _What if they want to break the bond?_

Blake shook her head violently.

 _No! No, I can't think that way. I'll just… I'll just explain it to them, exactly what it is, what everything means and… and if they want to break the bond… I'll do it._

 _ ***Ba-Thump***_ Her heart beat painfully, as if in protest.

 _I didn't say I wanted to…_

Blake pulled out her scroll, glancing at the time. She slowly typed out a small text.

 _ **B- Hey, can we have a team meeting at the dorm around 6? I have something to tell you all.**_

Her finger hovered over the send button for a moment, before tapping. After a few seconds, she got a response.

 _ **W- Is something wrong?**_

 _ **Y- Sure. Sum kinda prbm?**_

 _ **R- You okay?**_

Blake smiled at their concern, typing a response.

 _ **B- Nothing bad, but it is important.**_

 _ **Y- K, C Ya then**_

 _ **W- I'll be there**_

 _ **R- Okay, bye Blake :)**_

Blake stared at her scroll for a moment, before standing up, books in hand. As she made her way towards the dorms, she started planning, trying to think of how she was going to explain this, without getting punched or frozen or… whatever Ruby might do…

 _I hope this works…_

 **A/n: Ugh.. a whole chapter of my two least favorite things… exposition and angst. I am not real happy with this chapter, because I know it could be better. Still, it had to be done, 'cause now I can start moving towards the fun stuff. See you all whenever for the next chapter.**

 **As a side note, this story freaking exploded! 80 Favs and 130 Alerts!? Holy son of a sloth! Thank you all! I must be doing something right. Here's hoping I can keep it up.**

 **Also, since the freaking plot bunnies won't leave me alone, Ii have an idea for another story, a Bleach story, of all things. Not sure if anything will come of it, but I'll likely at least put an initial chapter out there just to see what happens. So if any of you out there are Bleach fans, give it a read, whenever it shows up.**


	8. Chapter 8: Admission

**Chapter 8: Admission**

"Seriously, Ruby? Did you really need an extra five packs of peanut butter cookies?"

Ruby and Weiss made there way down the winding hallways of Beacon Academy. Weiss held a bag of Dust, oil, and other Huntress necessities in her hand, while Ruby had numerous boxes of cookies cradled in her arms.

"Yes, I did. I was all out."

"... but five packs? Really?"

"Yang keeps eating them! I need this many so I know I'll get at least a few- whoa!"

As Ruby rounded the corner, she hit something solid. She fell down, cookie boxes flying as she threw her arms up in surprise.

"No! My cookies!"

In a red flash, Ruby jumped up and snatched the boxes out of the air. _One, two three four, fi-!_

"Cool, peanut butter!"

Just as Ruby's fingers grazed the last box, it was suddenly ripped away, now in the hands of a certain blonde.

" _Yaaang!_ Those are mine!" Ruby whined as she stomped her foot.

Yang just smirked as she opened the box. "Call it an apology for bumping into me." She said, swallowing a cookie in one bite. "Mmmh… I love these things."

Ruby's face turned red as she charged forward. "Gimme, gimme, gimme!" Yang, in response, merely grabbed her by the head and held her arm out, snacking away as Ruby flailed her arms, her precious cookies just out of reach.

Weiss, having watched all of this, pinched the bridge of her nose. "You two, I swear…" With a huff, she shouted. "Girls!" Yang and Ruby froze in their movements, looking at her in curiosity. "Blake is waiting on us?"

The sisters blinked, before looking at each other. Ruby groaned. " _Fiiiine.._."

Yang smirked again as she released her grip, munching on another cookie as she started walking down the hall. Ruby followed her, scowling at her as she clutched her remaining cookie boxes against her chest.

Weiss just shook her head at them, walking up beside the two. She gave Yang an appraising look. "Spar go well?" She asked at her torn and singed clothing.

Yang beamed. "Oh ho-yeah. I kinda feel sorry for Nora's team. That hammer packs one hell of a punch."

Ruby, cookies still in a death grip, asked. "Did you figure out which one of you can hit harder?"

Yang looked confused for a second, before blinking. "Oh, yeah. That's why we sparred in the first place, wasn't it?" She chuckled sheepishly. "Guess we were having so much fun we forgot about that."

"So who won?" Ruby asked.

Yang shrugged. "Heck if I know. Nora got a call in the middle of the fight and took off before we could finish. I think she said something about sloths?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Of course she did. So, do either of you know what Blake wants to talk about?"

Yang shrugged at her. "I dunno. She said it was important, though."

Ruby though for a minute. "Maybe…" She looked around, making sure no one else was in earshot. "Maybe she's in heat again?" She whispered anyway.

Weiss' cheeks tinted, Ruby's words bringing memories of the past night once again to the forefront of her mind. She shook her head slightly, both to clear her head and as a negative. "I-I doubt that, Ruby. Blake's heat was gone this morning, so she probably won't be in heat for several weeks, maybe a month."

Yang cocked an eyebrow at her. "And you know this… how?"

Weiss held her head high, looking superior. "I took the liberty to research more about Faunus mating habits, in case something like this happened again."

A smirk spread over Yang's lips. "So you wanted to know the next chance you and Blake could knock boots?"

Weiss' eyes widened to comical proportions, Yang's words suddenly put her own statement in a _completely_ different context than she intended. "Wha- no! I-I was just concerned! and wanted to make sure we had all the information available!"

If anything, Yang's smirk grew bigger. "Available for _what_ exactly?"

Weiss felt the heat rise to her cheeks, pointedly looking away from the blonde. "I am not dignifying that with a response."

Yang gave a small snort at her dismissive tone. She turned to Ruby, nearly busting up when she saw her sister's barely restrained smile.

Weiss just huffed, ignoring the two all the way to their dorm. Yang, being her usual boisterous self, swung open the door, announcing loudly. "We're home! So what's up… Blake?"

Weiss and Ruby were similarly confused at the sight before them. Blake sat curled up in the open window, arms wrapped around her legs as she leaned against the window frame. She stared off into the distance, towards the orange tinted sky of the setting sun, clearly in thought.

Most surprising, however was the lack of a bow, her cat ears twitching slightly in the evening breeze.

When the door opened, Blake snapped out of whatever thoughts she'd been having, turning towards them. An odd smile graced her lips for a split-second, before being schooled into her usual tight line. She swung her legs back into the room, but remained sitting.

"Um… hi." She greeted, her timidness sending up a red flag for her team as they came in, Weiss shutting the door behind her.

"Hey…" Yang replied slowly, feeling a little wary. "Something up, Blake?"

Blake bit her lip slightly as Weiss and Ruby found a place to set down their goods, Ruby deftly making all four boxes of cookies seemingly disappear in seconds. Once all the attention was back on her, Blake took a calming breath. "I have something to tell you guys."

"Is it a bad something?" Ruby asked, concern growing.

Blake shifted uncomfortably. "Not… really. At least…. well, it mostly depends on… how _you_ look at it…."

Weiss raised an eyebrow, giving Blake a look that _dared_ her to try and keep another secret. Blake saw it, and swallowed. "It's, um… it's about last night."

Yang frowned. "Did we do something wrong?"

Blake's eyes widened, franticly waving her hands in front of her. "No, no! It's nothing you did! You… you really helped me last night." A smile graced her lips, one which they returned, only to frown as Blake looked away. "It's… something I did."

At their questioning looks, Blake breathed deeply. "You… you have to understand, I… I've never really been… close… to anyone before. I mean, there was one time I thought… maybe, but… nothing came of it. I've never felt… _wanted_ before."

"Blake…" Ruby said softly.

"But last night…" A smile spread over Blake's face. "Last night was… incredible. You all made me feel… accepted… loved."

The three were about to smile (despite the red dusting in Weiss' cheeks), but were surprised when Blake shook her head almost violently, pressing her lips into a frown.

"But that's no excuse! I shouldn't have…" She trailed off, staring down at the carpet. "I shouldn't have done it… not without your consent."

Yang quirked her head to the side. "Uh, what are you talking about, Blake? Last I checked, all three of us were on board last night… some sooner than others…"

"Hey…" Weiss droned warningly.

Blake only shook her head, much to their confusion. "No, not that… I…I did something to you." The three blinked at her rather blunt admission, as Blake continued. "I don't know what I was thinking, I… I must have been so overwhelmed that…" She sighed before looking up to meet their eyes. "How much do you guys know about Faunus relationships?"

That threw them all for a loop. Yang turned to Ruby, who could only offer a shrug, while Weiss' eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Not much," Yang spoke for them. "I figured there wasn't much different from human relationships."

Blake grimaced slightly. "Yes and no. Like humans, we date, form relationships that way, but we do it for slightly different reasons. We're searching for a mate."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Mate? Isn't that just another word a life-partner, like husband and wife?"

Blake nodded in concession. "The idea is similar, but, again, different for Faunus. I guess… I guess the best way to explain it is, when two humans want to marry, they want someone to share their life with. When two Faunus mate, they want to find someone to share _who they are_ with."

Ruby was confused. "Isn't that the same thing?"

Blake shook her head. "It's not, because… Faunus have the ability to form a much deeper connection. We're able to feel our mate's emotions."

All eyes widened. "Seriously?" Yang asked in wonder.

"Yes. When two Faunus truly care for each other… when they respect and trust each other above all else, they can create a bond that allows them to search out the others aura, to feel what they feel at any given time. The more in tune they are to the others aura, the stronger the feelings are."

Yang and Ruby stared at her, Ruby with stars in her eyes while Yang let out an impressed laugh. "Cool."

Weiss, however, gave her a much more critical look. "Why are you telling us this?" She asked, drawing the sisters' attention.

Blake flinched at her tone, ears pinning to her head. "Because… last night, I…" She took a shuddering breath. "In order for to create that bond, two Faunus have to give a portion of their aura their partner. They do this by…"

"By…?" Weiss prodded, though she had a sinking feeling as to the answer.

Blake closed her eyes in defeat, head hanging down.

"... by biting one another."

Weiss' eyes widened. Her hand flew to her left shoulder. Seeing that, Yang and Ruby slowly put the pieces together slowly mimicking her. "Blake?" Yang asked, her tone disbelieving.

Blake swallowed, head shooting up, her eyes pleading. "I swear, I didn't mean too! I was just as surprised when I saw them this morning as you were. I don't even remember when…" She trailed off, the looks she was receiving robbing her of her resolve.

The room was silent. It took everything Blake had not to look away from the mixed expressions on her teammate's faces. Ruby's was rather unreadable, the only thing showing through was confusion. Yang stared at her in disbelief and shock, her mouth hanging open slightly. And Weiss…

Blake felt her heart clench.

Weiss' face was completely blank. Her lips were set in a tight line. She would have seen unnervingly calm, had it not been for her hand forming a fist over where her bite was. Weiss took a deep breath through her nose. "You… mated… to us?" She asked, voice frigid.

Blake could only nod, forcing herself to keep eye contact with the heiress.

"All three of us?"

Another nod.

"You…" Weiss clenched her jaw, breathing deeply. "So, we are your… mates, now?"

Blake shook her head. "No, not yet, not… fully. It's just an initial mark... a starting point. It's meant to give potential mates a chance to… reconsider."

Weiss' shoulders relaxed, if only slightly. "So you can remove these… marks?" She asked, relieved, only to narrow her eyes as Blake's ears pinned back at her words.

"I… can…" Blake admitted hesitantly.

 _No…_ Weiss thought. _Not hesitantly… Reluctantly._

"You… don't want to."

It wasn't a question, but a statement, spoken in such a cold, unfeeling tone that everyone else in the room could feel the temperature drop a few degrees.

Every instinct Blake had screamed at Blake to backtrack, to lie. The more human part of her warned her of the rising tension in the room, while her animalistic side outright ordered her to do what she always did when faced with unwanted conflict. _Flee, hide, run._

Blake forced it all down. She looked into Weiss' eyes, trying to ignore the blankness in them.

"I'd like to try."

Weiss stared back at her, blank face unchanging. Off to the side, Yang kept her eyes on Blake, an odd mix of emotions on her face. Ruby, finally regaining her wits, kept glancing between Weiss and Blake, a look of concern on her features.

"Try…" Weiss breathed out in that cold, detached tone. "...try… are you seriously referring to a romantic relationship between the three of us and you? You want to… share us?"

Blake shook her head slightly. "It… it wouldn't be like that. It would be an equal bond, no one of us less important than the others. No less…" She slowed to a stop, afraid of how her words would be received.

"'No less' what, Blake?" Weiss' tone left no room for argument.

Blake stared into cold, blue eyes, her vision blurring slightly. "No less loved."

Weiss finally gave a reaction in the form of her eyes widening. There was a slight tremble in her fist, still placed over her fledgling mark. Her knuckles were turning white. She closed her eyes, her jaw clenched. Blake waited.

Eyes still closed, Weiss spoke. "Blake, you said that… mates… can feel each other's emotions?"

"Yes," Blake admitted.

Weiss swallowed. "So… you can feel _our_ emotions?" Her voice was frigid.

Blake fidgeted in her seat. "I-I can, but I'm not! I won't! Not without your permission."

Weiss took several deep breaths, short and shaky. Her eyes opened, boring into Blake's amber orbs. "Then tell me what I'm feeling right now."

Now Blake swallowed. Very hesitantly, she reached with her aura, across the short distance between them. Terrified of what she'd find, her violet aura brushing lightly against the frost white of Weiss'.

Blake visibly flinched at the contact, Weiss' eyes following her. Unable to look her in the eye, Blake's gaze dropped to the floor.

"Anger," She said softly. "Confusion. Frustration." She swallowed the lump in her throat, forcing the final word out. "B-Betrayal."

Now it was Weiss' turn to flinch, if only slightly. Her face softened, a tight frown forming on her lips. She clenched her jaw tightly. She tore her gaze away from Blake, looking at Yang, then Ruby. She looked back down at Blake, the Faunus still staring at the ground.

With a shaky breath, she spun on her heel.

"I need some air."

Before anyone could react, Weiss was gone, the dorm room door closing softly behind her.

Ruby blinked, before moving to chase after her. "Weiss, wait-!"

"No, Ruby."

Ruby froze, looking towards Blake as the Faunus lifted her head slightly to meet her eyes.

"It's okay. I just dropped a lot on her, on all of you. Let her go."

Ruby looked between her and the door. "But…" She whimpered, distressed.

"Did you mean that, Blake?"

The two of them looked towards Yang, startled by her quiet voice. The blonde was staring at Blake, face unreadable. "You… you love us? Like that?"

Blake nodded hesitantly. "Yes, I do. I love you all."

Yang let out a huff of a laugh. "Even me?"

Blake smiled slightly. "Yes. I love you, Yang."

Red entered Yang's cheeks, her lavender eyes widening at Blake's blunt admission. She laughed nervously, stuttering. "I, uh, hehe… wow, I… um… look, Blake, I'm flattered and all, really, I am, but… you see, I, uh… it's just, um…" She petered out, running a hand through her hair. She swallowed thickly. "Y'know, I, uh… I think… I think Weiss has the right idea. I, uh… I need to think."

She took a step towards the door, before whirling around, eyes wide with panic. "But, I'll be back! I just… I'm just gonna take a walk, clear my head. That, uh… that okay?"

Blake nodded, ignoring the dull ache in her chest as Yang stepped closer to the door. She managed a smile. "Take all the time you need, Yang."

Yang nodded back. "Cool… cool… I'll, uh, I'll be back later… I promise!" She gave Ruby a long look, one which her sister returned worriedly. With one last look at her partner, Yang followed Weiss' lead, shutting the door quietly behind her.

Blake stared after, before looking at Ruby. "You can go too Ruby." When the leader turned to her in surprise, Blake gave her a half-smile. "You probably need to think too. I understand." She mumbled the last part quietly, eyes falling back downward.

Ruby stared at her in concern. She looked towards the hallway door, then back at Blake. She nodded.

Then tackled Blake.

Blake gasped as the weight slammed into her, nearly sending her out the window. Her confusion morphed into understanding as she felt two thin arms wrap around her.

"Ruby…" She breathed softly, her eyes tearing up.

Ruby simply tightened her grip. "You need a hug." Her tone left no room for debate.

Blake smiled, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl, burying her head in Ruby's shoulder. "Thank you."

She felt Ruby nod.

They stayed like that for about a minute, before Ruby pulled away, still keeping her arms on Blake's waist. "Can we sit on your bed?"

Blake blinked at the question, then nodded. They soon found themselves sitting across from each other on Blake' bed, Ruby sitting cross-legged while Blake wrapped her arms around her legs again.

"Sooo…" Ruby started hesitantly. "Do you really not remember biting us last night?"

Blake shook her head. "No, I don't. I don't even know how I did it without any of you noticing. Can… you remember when I might have bitten you last night?"

Ruby thought hard, her brow scrunched up in concentration. "Um… well…" She blinked, slamming her fist to her palm. "Oh! Maybe it was when you did that little neck rub!"

Blake tilted her head. "Neck rub?"

Ruby rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Well, that's what it felt like, at least. After we, um…" Ruby's cheeks tinted, a bashful smile on her lips. "... we were all really tired. Yang and Weiss fell asleep pretty quick, but you and I just lied there for a little while. Then… "

* * *

 _Ruby felt… fuzzy._

 _That was the only way she could describe it. Just… fuzzy. Like her whole body was covered in cotton balls or something. Fuzzy and warm… kinda tingly._

 _Her eyes drooped down as she shifted her weight, getting comfortable on top of her Faunus friend, head tucked into Blake's neck as she listened to the soft purrs right next to her ear._

 _She forced her eyes to stay open, looking to the bodies next to her. Weiss lay atop Yang, the blonde holding the heiress in a loose embrace. A smile formed on Ruby's lips as she closed her eyes, ready to let the sweet temptation of sleep embrace her._

 _Just as she wa about to succumb to dreamland, the room suddenly went silent. Her eyes blinked back open as she looked up, confused. "Blake?" She called sleepily._

 _The now silent Faunus looked down at her. She had an odd look on her face, a not-quite frown on her lips as she stared at Ruby, her eyes still slitted. She slowly panned over to Weiss and Yang, looking at each of them, then back at Ruby._

 _Despite her protesting muscles, Ruby made herself up so that her head would be level with Blake's. "Hey, what's wrong?"_

 _Blake's eyes flicked down nervously, as if keeping eye contact was difficult. Then, closing her eyes, she leaned forward, pressing her forehead against Ruby's._

 _Ruby, not quite knowing what to make of this, just closed her eyes, adding her own slight pressure to the contact. After a moment, Blake pulled back. They both opened their eyes, and Ruby now found Blake smiling warmly at her. Then she leaned into Ruby's shoulder._

 _Ruby felt a small pinch, and suddenly felt very warm. A smile spread across her lips as she saw Blake pull away again, smiling at her as she lightly licked her lips. The new fuzzy feeling seemed to multiply Ruby's exhaustion, the leader now finding it much harder to keep her eyes open. With a smile on her face, she set her head down on Blake's chest, listening to the Faunus' heartbeat as she slowly drifted off._

 _She was only dimly aware of Blake's hand gently holding her head in place, as the girl started to lean towards the other two girls beside them._

* * *

As Ruby finished, Blake hid her face in her hands. "Are you sure that's what I did?" She asked in a near-whisper.

"Ruby nodded, slightly confused. "Yeah. Why?"

Blake let out deep sigh, lowering her hands so she could meet Ruby's eyes. "You're right, that's most likely when I Marked you. The others too. That forehead bump I did?" She waited for Ruby to nod before continuing. "That's a Faunus' way of asking if you want to be their mate. And you're sure you pressed back?" Ruby nodded again, Blake wincing slightly as she did. "That's how another Faunus would accept. Damn instincts…" She muttered, mostly to herself as she scowled.

Ruby thought for a moment. "So… what does this mean? Now that I'm… Marked?"

Blake shifted as she met her eyes. "It's… kind of difficult to explain. I'd like to explain it to all of you, so you have all the information before any of you… choose."

Ruby nodded. Then, she gave a small smile. "So… you love me?"

Though her cheeks tinted, Blake did start to smile. "Yes, Ruby. I really do."

Ruby fidgeted a bit. "Could… could you show me?"

Blake blinked in surprise. "Um… how?"

"Well… you said that Mates could feel each other's emotions, right?"

A jolt went through Blake as she realised what Ruby was talking about. "Oh! Oh, um I… I don't know, Ruby. I'm not sure if you can."

Ruby seemed disappointed. " _Aww_ … why not?"

Blake rubbed the back of her neck, a quirk she had picked up from Yang. "It's a Faunus ability. I don't know a lot about Faunus taking human mates. I can feel your emotions, but I'm not sure if it would work the other way around."

Ruby still looked hopeful. "Well, could we still try? It sounds really cool! And… I'd like to be able to feel what you feel." She ended with a blush.

Blake seemed apprehensive, but the starry-eyed look Ruby was giving her quickly made her crumble. "Okay," She relented as she moved her legs to sit cross-legged across from Ruby. "I suppose there's no harm in trying. Just… please don't get your hopes up."

Ruby nodded. "So... how do we do this?"

Blake frowned in concentration. "I'm not sure how to explain it. The first time I tried, I blocked out everything around me, and tried to 'see' with my aura."

Ruby tilted her head. "See with your aura?"

"Um…" Blake struggled to explain. "You know how you can focus your aura in one place to heal quicker? " Ruby nodded. "It's like that, only, instead of moving your aura to one place on your body, try to push your aura outwards. Let it 'look' around on its own, see if it can find something for you to focus on. Close your eyes."

Ruby did as she was told. Keeping Blake's words in mind, she ignored everything around her, not too hard since there was nothing in the room to distract her. Doing as Blake said, she reached for her aura, and _pushed._

Seconds passed, and she felt nothing. Frustrated, she pushed harder, her brow furrowed in concentration. Just when she was about to give up, she felt something tug her forward. Focusing in that feeling, she nearly gasped.

It was right in front of her, so close she was baffled she hadn't 'seen' it sooner. A black spot in the darkness, hidden in plain view if not for the deep violet glow surrounding it. It was a little ominous, but also gave off a feeling of safety, like it was something that would hide and protect her if need be.

"Blake?" Ruby asked softly, eyes still closed. "I think… I think I… 'found' you. But… I don't really feel-" Ruby gasped.

 _Fear. Sadness. Self-loathing. Calm. Relief. Happiness._

 _Love._

Ruby's eyes flew open. She took long, deep breaths, her heart hammering away in her chest. She felt two hands grip her shoulders tightly.

"Ruby? Ruby, are you alright?" Blake was right in front of her, worry in her eyes, cat-ears pinned against her head.

Ruby took a few more slow breaths. "Yeah, I'm… I'm fine." She gave a shaky laugh, smiling widely. "That was a little intense."

Blake managed a small smile of her own. "Sorry. I usually keep my emotions hidden, that's probably why you couldn't feel them right awa-" She froze, her words finally registering. "You… you felt me."

Ruby gave a nod, smiling. "Yup!"

Blake stared at Ruby, an expression of disbelieving awe on her face. Tears appeared in the corners of her eyes, and Ruby suddenly found herself in a shockingly strong hug. "It… it worked." Blake said, mostly to herself. She let out a laugh of disbelief. "You're… you're my Mate." As soon as the words left her mouth, she pulled back, eyes wide. "I mean… you _can_ be my Mate. If you… want to…" She finished awkwardly.

Ruby looked at her, thinking hard. "I… I think I need to talk with Yang and Weiss first. But…" She gave Blake a wide smile. "I think I'd like to try too."

Blake shocked expression melted into a watery smile. She pulled Ruby into a softer hug, the leader hugging back. Ruby was the one to break the silence this time, however. "I'm gonna go find Yang." She said, pulling away from the embrace.

Blake frowned in confusion. "Why?"

Ruby shrugged with a smile. "Call it 'sister's intuition.' I think she needs to talk to someone about all… _this_." She gestured to the room as a whole.

Blake's ears bent slightly. "Are you sure, Ruby? Maybe she needs to think things out herself."

Ruby seemed to mull it over for a second, giving a disquiet frown as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "If it was anyone else, probably, but… Yang a get a little… moody, I guess?... when she stews over something for too long. Trust me, it's better to let her vent now, then have her bottle up what she's thinking." She cringed, as if remembering something. "It never ends well."

Blake looked uneasy, but nodded anyway. "Okay. I'll stay here and…" she sighed deeply. "Try and figure out what I'm going to say to Yang and Weiss."

Ruby nodded. She stood up and walked to the door. But just as she put her hand on the doorknob…

Blake felt a whoosh of air and saw a flash of red. Before she could react, she felt a pair of lips peck her cheek. She blinked to find a red-faced Ruby Rose in front of her, smiling awkwardly. "Uh, see ya!" She chirped as she disappeared in a whirlwind of rose petals, the door slamming behind her as she zoomed away.

Blake stared at the spot her kind-of Mate just occupied. She looked down at her bed, at the rose petals strewn about. She picked one up, holding it gently between her fingers, before laying it in her palm. She smiled at it.

 _Ruby Rose… my beacon in the darkness._

* * *

The click of high-heeled boots echoed through the near empty halls of Beacon. The few students that were still walking about looked towards the sound, but quickly found something better to do once they found the source: a certain white haired heiress, marching with a purpose, her trademark rapier held at the ready.

To most people, that alone would put most on edge, but the scary thing was her expression, or rather, the lack of it. To anyone looking at her, Weiss Schnee appeared the picture of calm.

And yet, just a single look at her eyes were all it took to tell the story.

It wasn't that Weiss wasn't mad, oh no…

She was just so furious that she'd come full circle.

Inside her head, Weiss' thoughts were a jumbled, incomprehensible mess, to the point that she could barely do anything other that keep walking forward until she reached her destination.

It took only a few minutes before she arrived. Pushing the door open, nearly smacking some poor student in the face as he was about to leave, she marched across the room, oblivious to the stares she was receiving as she found an empty section. With a few taps of her scroll, the floor panels slid aside, metal bodies rising from beneath.

Beacon Academy had a large supply of old AK-100s, donated in bulk from the Atlasian military once they'd been rendered obsolete by the new models that had been developed. They were bulky, slow, but powerful. They were built to take punishment, making them excellent for students to practice on when they were in need for more 'hands-on' training without the fear of harming other student.

An important thing to note was their tolerance for Dust. As Dust tended to be most enemy's ace-in-the-hole in terms of fighting, the AK-100s, and their successors, were built to withstand intense heat and electrical output. They could survive the most extreme Dust related punishment that they could be faced with.

As three AK-100s took fighting stances, Weiss calmly raised Myrtenaster, pointing it at the center robot. With her thumb, she rotated the Lightning Dust chamber into place. She cocked the hammer.

The robot charged.

Weiss clicked the trigger.

 _ **BOOOOOOOMMMM!**_

The robot exploded.

* * *

 **A/n: Yeah, Weiss ain't happy, though not quite for the reason you think. We'll get to that next chapter.**

 **Sorry this took so long to get out, but, well… The End Of The Beginning… yeah, I needed some recharge time.**

 **On a related note, I think I finally hammered out a timeline for this thing, roughly. This story is going to run along the same time as Volume 2, staying as canon as I can for the most part, Whether I follow specific events or have those happen offscreen while I do my own thing remains to be seen, at least until I re-watch Volume 2 again. Which would you guys like to see?**

 **After that, though, I have something BIG planned for in between Volumes 2 and 3, though whether that will be it's own story or be tacked onto this one, again, remains to be seen. Then we got Volume 3, and, I'll warn you now, we will be going fully off the rails once we get that far.**

 **Will I get that far? I dunno. I hope so. I'm hoping I can keep the momentum going so I get this story done at least by the end of the year. Here's hoping, Just remember, though; nothing gets me more in a writing mood then hearing what you guys have to say about the story or what think thus far, so keep those Reviews coming.**

 **See ya later!**


	9. Chapter 9: Runaround

**Chapter 9: Runaround**

To the few students who had yet to meet the leader of team RWBY, the sight of hundreds of rose petals scattered throughout the halls of Beacon was a baffling one. Everyone who did know her, however...

...was wondering what the heck was wrong with her.

After the third time she'd passed the cafeteria, Ruby was slowly moving from worried to frustrated. She felt like she'd ran a dozen laps in and around the school, and for all she knew, she had.

Finally stopping to take a breath, Ruby found herself, of all places, on the roof. The sky was quickly darkening as the sun sank beneath the horizon, stars just starting to dot the sky. Beacon was slowly starting to glow as lit windows took the place of the fleeing sunshine, the white surface of it's walls being swallowed by the dark of night.

Ruby took no notice of any of this, however. For there was only one loud, frustrated thought running through her head, that she was about ready to just scream towards the sky:

 _Yang, where the heck are you!?_

Ruby sat on the roof, exhaustion winning out as she fell on her back. What should have been a quick jog had turned into a twenty minute marathon as she searched in vain for her Big Sis. She'd checked the library, the cafeteria, every classroom, every dorm room that opened when she knocked; anywhere she could think that Yang could be hiding out.

And yet, here she was, still Big Sis-less… and now her legs hurt.

Ruby let out a groan.

 _I gotta find Yang. If she stews on this too long…_ Ruby shivered.

To Ruby, there were four kinds of Yang: first was Big Sis Yang, who was around to most, and was exactly what she sounded like; Ruby's best big sister she could ever have, ready to kick butt and take names of any and all who dare to threaten those she cares about.

Then there was Angry Yang, the often seen but rarely long-lasting Yang who tended to hit first and ask… well, usually never. Asking was usually up to whoever was with her at the time as Angry Yang tried to calm down from whatever was tickling her off at the moment. Luckily, Angry Yang tended to burn herself out rather quickly.

Next… next was a Yang that Ruby loved very dearly, yet at the same time wished never had to exist. The Yang who was there whenever times got too rough. The Yang who held her after a nightmare, who sang her to sleep right after. The Yang who did her best to make the perfect cookies from memory. The Yang who tried her hardest to fill the void. The Yang who a young Ruby had thought of as… Mama Yang.

Ruby smiled sadly up at the stars. As they'd gotten older, and Ruby came to terms with reality, Mama Yang had slowly started to fade away. Still, she knew, if need be, Mama Yang would make a reappearance.

But then…

Ruby frowned.

The forth Yang… the most seldom seen, and the one that Ruby had never been able to give a name. She could count on one hand the times this Yang had appeared, and none of them were good. This Yang… this Yang was unpredictable… she tried to act like Big Sis Yang, but couldn't do it quite right. She was always a step or two behind were Big Sis Yang would usually be, and would sometimes burst into what was almost a harsher version of Angry Yang. But mostly she was just… empty.

Ruby closed her eyes. She didn't hate this Yang… how could she? Good or bad, she was still part of her Big Sis. But every time she showed up, she stuck around, sometimes for a few weeks, sometimes for months. She would eventually go away, and Big Sis Yang would come back, but that either took a long time, or for her to do something really stupid or dangerous.

The image of a little red wagon popped into Ruby's head.

She shook the image away. Yang wasn't nearly that bad this time. But that look in her eye… if Yang stewed too long, then Ruby would once again be stuck with… Troubled Yang?

Ruby frowned, shaking her head. Troubled was accurate, but at the same time didn't quite capture everything that made that Yang who she was.

Ruby sighed. The answer was simple: talk to Yang, listen to her vent (which she most likely wanted to do), then talk some more about the whole Mates thing.

However, that still left one major problem:

 _Where the heck is she!?_

Ruby groaned. _I got nothing. I've been all over the school, most of the grounds, the roof the basement, the pool...funny, no one told us Beacon had a pool… but no Yang. It's almost like…_

With a blink, Ruby pushed herself up. She turned her head towards the twinkling lights of Vale.

 _Oh… maybe she went into the city._ Ruby grimaced. _Oh, I hope not. The last ship already left for the day. I mean, I could run, but…_ she lifted one of her legs, wincing at the soreness. _Yeah, I really hope she's still at Beacon. But where?_

She let out a sigh. She thought about calling Yang on her scroll, but decided that this was a conversation that should be in person. Although…

Ruby sat up, pulling out her scroll. With a few finger taps, she pulled up her contacts, and clicked on Yang's info. She scrolled until she found the correct command: **Show Location.**

Ruby clicked it, and watched as a progress icon popped up, spinning and spinning. A message popped up:

 **User Offline.**

Ruby let out a frustrated groan, closing her eyes as she brought a hand to her face. Well, at least she felt less stupid for not thinking of that earlier. Still, it would have been nice to just look up Yang's info and know exactly where she was…

Ruby's eyes slowly opened.

 _Oh._

She looked back across the school grounds, at the few people walking about in the moonlight. _Would that work? I mean, it did with Blake, but she's the Faunus, and the one who made the Mark… But she gave Yang one too. It makes sense… I think..._

Ruby thought for a minute, then gave a sharp nod. _Like Blake said, there's no harm in trying. Okay, close my eyes… block everything out… focus on my aura… and… push!_

Again, Ruby found herself in a blank void, nothing but darkness in all directions. Doing as she had with Blake earlier, Ruby pushed her aura outwards, and waited. After a few seconds, she felt a small tug downwards. Turning her head towards it, she could see the same violet-clad cloud of black that she knew was Blake's aura. She felt her own aura start to reach out towards it, but quickly pulled it back.

 _No need to bother Blake while she's thinking… wait, would it bother her? Can you tell if your Mate is feeling your emotions? ...eh, questions for later. At least I know I'm doing it right. Now… where's Yang?_

Ruby pushed on her aura a little harder, feeling a slight strain as she did so.

 _Whew… Blake didn't mention this would make you tired… C'mon Yang, where the heck… wait… is that…?_

All of a sudden, Ruby's aura tugged in a different direction, downwards again, but also in the opposite direction of where Blake was. Looking that way, Ruby saw another wispy cloud of aura. This one was white… and seemed to glowing.

 _Is that… Weiss?_ Ruby reached out with her aura, a wispy string of red stopping right near the cloud of white, Ruby hesitated for a second, then closed the gap between their auras, barely brushing Weiss'.

Ruby's whole body flinched back like she'd been burned, her eyes snapping open. She was dimly aware that the building she was looking towards was the Combat Room.

 _That… that was…_ Ruby couldn't put it into words. Weiss' emotions… Anger, frustration, so, _so_ much confusion, but above all else… hurt.

She didn't even know if hurt counted as an emotion, but there was no mistaking that feeling. Weiss was hurting… badly.

Ruby thought back. She'd passed the Combat Room in her mad marathon across the campus, and had seen the heiress utterly decimate a number of practice robots with blast after blast of Dust. Ruby hadn't thought much of it, figuring Weiss was just venting her emotions the same way she'd seen Yang dozens of times before. But now…

She felt torn. She wanted to talk to her sister, but now she wanted to help her partner just as badly.

 _Help my Big Sis, or help my best friend? Big Sis, best friend, Big Sis, best friend… Uhh, being team leader really sucks sometimes._

She let out a long breath through her nose. _I can't talk to Weiss until she calms down anyway. At least I know where she is. Yang first, Weiss right after. Now… where are you Yang?_

Ruby closed her eyes, and pushed. She ignored the tugging sensation towards Blake and Weiss, and pushed her aura as far as she could. Her head started pounding as she hit her limit.

 _C'mon, I gotta be close, where… there!_

The small, weak tug forwards nearly made Ruby yell in triumph. Instead, she stretched out her aura, just as she had with Weiss. Sure enough, way off in the distance, there was cloud of yellow aura, though it seemed kind of… dim. Ruby cracked open one of her eyes to find out which direction she was looking.

 _...the airfield? Gonna have to ask her about that._ After the experience with Weiss' aura, Ruby was hesitant to touch Yang's, but did so all the same. And what she found was… surprising.

Nervousness. Confusion. A bit of anger. Those made sense, Ruby supposed. But sadness? Anxiety? Insecurity?

Yang, insecure? That was like saying Grimm were cute and cuddly.

Ruby frowned. _I need to talk to her._ _ **Now.**_

She got to her feet… and immediately sat back down. With a hiss of pain, Ruby was suddenly aware that, in addition to her already sore legs, she'd also managed to deplete her aura.

 _Maybe I'll take the elevator._

* * *

It was a limping and rather sore Ruby who slowly made her way down the path to Beacon's airfield. A decent sized crowd of students were making their way towards the school, likely having just gotten off the last transport of the day. Ruby ignored them as they passed. She was so focused on the path in front of her, she accidently bumped someone's shoulder as she walked.

"Oh, sorry!" She said quickly as the other person stumbled slightly.

"It's alright-Ruby?" Huh, that soft voice was familiar.

Ruby turned towards the person, and immediately recognized the two large rabbit ears sticking out of her hair.

"Oh, sorry Velvet." She apologized more politely. "I'm a bit out of it."

The rabbit Faunus gave her a soft smile. "It's okay, Ruby." Then she frowned in concern. "Are you feeling alright? You look kind of tired."

Ruby just grinned, waving her off. "Oh, I just got done taking a run. Oh, hey, have you seen my sister Yang?"

To her delighted surprise, Velvet nodded. "Yes, actually. Last I saw, she was sitting on a bench at the airfield, right near the cliffs."

Ruby beamed. "Perfect! Thank you, Velvet! See you around!" Ruby continued down the path, a bit more pep in her step.

Velvet smiled. "No problem. Your welcome, Ruby!" She called after the younger girl. Velvet turned to head towards Beacon, then stopped. Very slowly, she turned back towards the young sniper. She tilted her head a bit, her nose wiggling as she sniffed the air. She shook her head, laughing softly. "Must be my imagination," she said to herself, before jogging to catch up to her team.

* * *

 **A/n: If this seems kind of short… that's because it is. This chapter started running long, so I made this bit it's own chapter. Next one shouldn't take to long after this though. A week at the most. See ya then!**


	10. Chapter 10: Sister Talk

**Chapter 10: Sister Talk**

Ruby finally reached the airfield, much to the relief of her aching legs. She looked around, but didn't see Yang. Only an airship and a couple Bullheads, a few people checking them over as they prepared for the end of the day. Ruby frowned, then closed her eyes. After a few moments, she walked towards the nearest Bullhead. Walking around it, she saw a mane of blonde hair.

Yang sat alone on a small bench overlooking the city of Vale. Her head was down, pointed towards her limp hands as they rested on her knees. She was silent.

"Yang?" Ruby called to her.

Yang jolted at her name being called. With a shake of her head, she turned towards the speaker, eyes wide with panic. She calmed down once she saw who it was.

"Ruby! Oh, it's just… just you." She said as she took deep breaths, calming herself.

Feeling very concerned, Ruby down sat beside on the bench. "Were you expecting someone else?"

Yang shook her head, eyes pointed towards the ground. "No, no, I just…" She trailed off with a sigh.

Ruby frowned. "Wanna talk about it?"

Yang barked out a humorless laugh. "About what, exactly? The part where Blake said she loves me, or the part where she wants to make a permanent fourway with you, me and Weiss?"

Ruby's cheeks tinted as she ignored Yang's crude bluntness. "Both, I guess?"

A long sigh passed Yang's lips. "What do you want me to say, Ruby?"

Ruby shrugged. "I dunno. What do you want to say?"

Yang glared at Ruby out the corner of her eye. "Very funny." She muttered, annoyed.

They sat in silence, the evening air slowly filling with the distant sound of chirping crickets. Ruby just waited, her eyes never leaving her sister as Yang kept her head down, hair covering her eyes.

After a few minutes, Yang broke the silence. "So what did you and Blake talk about?"

Ruby blinked in surprise. "How did you-?"

Yang cut her off with a soft chuckle. "I know you, Rubes. No way you took off and left Blake alone. Not after me and Wiess…" She took a breath, her voice shaking slightly. "... left."

Ruby shifted in her seat. "Not much," She answered. "She didn't give me a lot of details. She said she wanted to do that when we were all there."

Yang's only response was a small hum of acknowledgement.

It was quiet for a few seconds, before Ruby spoke. "She said she loved me."

Yang's head snapped up, her eyes wide as she stared at her little sister. "Really?" She asked in disbelief.

Ruby nodded, smiling brightly. "Yep! She meant it, too!"

At that, Yang's eyes went back to normal as she raised an eyebrow. "Really?" She asked again, much calmer and with an edge of sarcasm. "You're sure about that?"

Ruby frowned. "Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?"

Yang shook her head. "People sometimes just say things, Ruby."

Ruby shook her head violently. "Blake didn't. She really meant it. She showed me!"

Yang's eyes widened, before narrowing. "Showed you… _how_ , exactly?"

Ruby fidgeted a bit under Yang's gaze, but held it with honest eyes. "She taught me how to feel her emotions."

Yang visibly flinched in surprise. "She… she did?" She asked quietly.

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, she did. Trust me Yang, she wasn't lying."

Yang swallowed slightly, her eyes dipping back down. Slowly, her hand moved unconsciously to the bite hidden under her jacket. She held it there, her eyes scrunched in concentration. "How… how did it feel?" She asked softly, meeting Ruby's eyes. "Blake's emotions?"

Ruby put a hand to her chin. "Well… it's hard to describe. It was like, what she was feeling was the same thing I was feeling, but… stronger, I guess? Like, I she felt happy, so I felt happy, but at the same time I knew the happiness I felt was Blake's, not mine… that made no sense, didn't it?"

Yang shook her head, though a small smile was on her lips at her sister's fumbled explanation. "Not in the slightest."

Ruby let out a long, frustrated sigh. "Okay, um… Blake was feeling a lot of things at the same time, so it was kind of confusing… oh, I know! She… oh…"

"What? What's wrong, Rubes?" Yang asked, concerned.

Ruby bit her lip. "Well, I thought of a good example, but… I'm not sure if Blake would want me to talk about it."

"Why? Is it bad?"

Ruby shrugged. "Kinda? It's something she was feeling at the time, but I didn't really notice until now."

"Sis, I think we're passed the point of keeping secrets. If Blake has a problem with it, she can take it up with me later for making you snitch. Now, spill it."

Ruby sighed. "...okay, but it was weird. It felt like… like she disliked something, I guess? But, like, stronger?"

Yang quirked her head. "Stronger?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, like, _way_ stronger. Like, I felt like it was… crushing me?" She said uncertainly, before nodding again. "Yeah, that sounds right. It felt like something heavy was pressing down on me. But the weird part was, when I felt this... heavy dislike… it was like I felt it towards myself."

Yang's eyes widened, her brow furrowed. "What?"

Ruby just frowned. "Yeah, but, that's the thing. I felt that way towards myself, but at the same time, I _knew_ it wasn't _my_ feelings that I felt. It was Blake's. I guess it was like… for a second, I _was_ Blake, and that's how she felt… that Blake didn't like Blake?" Ruby shook her head, scowling at the ground. "It didn't make sense."

As Ruby fell silent, Yang started mulling over her words. _Yeah, no kidding. Blake not liking Blake? The heck does that even mean? And 'heavy dislike?' What is she-_

Yang blinked. _Wait. Dislike, but stronger… does she mean… hate?_

Yang thought about it, nodding slowly. _Yeah, that makes sense. Explains why it confused Ruby so much. She doesn't hate anything! Of course she didn't know how to put it into words… wait…_

Yang's brow smoothed out, shocked realization on her face. ' _Blake didn't like Blake…' did she mean Blake… hated Blake?_

 _Blake hates herself?_

Yang stared off into the distance.

 _...the hell!?_

Yang's expression morphed into what could only be described as a determined scowl. _Okay, as soon as all this Mates and love stuff is over, me and Blake are having a_ long _talk._

 _...wait a sec. If Ruby really felt that from Blake… that means…_

She looked back at her sister, who was still frowning at the ground. Biting her lip, she asked awkwardly. "So… what did her… _love_ feel like?"

After a blink of surprise, Ruby's face lit up, her usual thousand-Watt smile back in place. "Yang, it was… I don't even know, just…" She let out a sigh that sounded suspiciously like contentment.

Yang raised an eyebrow at her sister. "That good, huh?"

Ruby giggled a bit. "I… the closest thing I can think of is… it was like what I feel for you." Yang's eyes bugged out, a sharp question on her lips (just where was her sister's mind going here?), before Ruby continued. "You, dad, Uncle Qrow… Mom…"

Yang's mouth closed, the true implication setting in. It was rare that Ruby would mention her- _their_ mother, so to mention her now…

"It was like what I feel for you guys, but so much… not stronger, but… _deeper…_ I could just feel that… what Blake was feeling for me… it was never going to end."

Yang stared at her Ruby, who had closed her eyes, lost in her own world at the memory. She seemed so… happy. A small smile formed on Yang's lips. "Good for you, Sis. Sounds like one heck of an experience."

Ruby opened her eyes, looking questioningly at Yang. "You could feel it too, y'know."

Yang jerked back, startled. "Oh, uh… I don't know, Ruby… It probably wouldn't work to well for me."

Ruby tilted her head. "Why not? It's actually pretty easy. It just takes a little while to get use to the feeling."

Yang grimaced, She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "No, Rubes, I mean… I doubt I'd feel what you felt if I tried to sense Blake's emotions."

"Why?" She thought over what she'd felt from Yang earlier. Something clicked. "Yang, do… do you not think Blake loves you?"

Yang visibly fliched, but then tried to brush it off with a smile and a wave. "What, no! I know Blake loves me… in… some way. Just… not the way you're thinking."

Now Ruby was really confused. "Yang, you heard what she said."

Yang gave a sort of nervous chuckle. "I know what she said, but… I don't think she was really thinking straight. What with her heat last night and these weird bite marks… I don't think she really meant quite what you think."

Ruby could only stare in shock and confusion. What was Yang talking about? It didn't help matters that Yang could barely meet her eyes, her own lavender orbs flicking all over the place, like she didn't know what to focus on.

In a last-ditch attempt to make sense of what the heck was wrong with her sister, Ruby closed her eyes and focused. In just a few seconds, Ruby could see the compact cloud of yellow aura right next to her.

"Ruby?" Yang asked, confused why her sister seemed to be concentrating so hard. "What are you-" Yang gasped. Just then, very briefly, she felt… something. Just a quick flash, but it seemed familiar. It seemed… red.

Ruby's eyes snapped open a second later, looking shocked.

Yang quickly put the two seemingly impossible pieces together. "Ruby, did you just-?"

"Yang?" Ruby asked quietly, uncertainly. "Are you… scared?"

Yang's eyes widened. "You… you really did…"

Ruby nodded slowly. "Y-Yeah, I did. Sorry, I just… I wanted to know why… Yang, are you scared?"

Yang just stared at Ruby dumbly for a few seconds, before breaking her gaze, staring back down at the ground.

Ruby took her silence as a yes, much to her growing shock. "But… you're Yang! You're not afraid of anything!"

"Ruby…" Yang said softly, not knowing what to say. "It's nothing."

Ruby gave the closest thing she had to a scoff. "It's something! Yang, come on."

"It's nothing, Ruby," Yang said loudly and more forcefully. "It's just something stupid I gotta deal with. It's not your problem."

Yang glared pointedly at the ground. She was determined to just ignore Ruby until she either changed the subject or decided to give up and lea-

"Please, Yang."

Yang felt her heart skip a beat. That tone… Ruby hadn't sounded that… _broken_ for a long time.

With a small turn of her head, she met Ruby's eyes. Her grey, teary, sadness filled eyes.

"Please don't lie to me." She begged, her lip quivering.

Yang looked away quickly. Despite everything, a spark of regular annoyance managed to bubble into her mind. _Low blow, Sis. Sad thing is, you probably don't even know what you're doing._

Yang stayed quiet. Ruby looked at her sadly. _Maybe Blake was right. Maybe Yang did just need some time to herself…_

"It was different."

Ruby perked up as Yang turned slightly towards her. "What was?"

Yang gave her a long look, before letting out a long sigh. "Sis, you know how I've had girlfriends before?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"Well…" the blonde cleared her throat awkwardly. "Let's just say last night wasn't my first night…"

"Oh, I know that."

Yang's eyes snapped up, mouth gaping. "Wha…?"

Ruby blushed a little, her eyes drifting to the side. "Our bedroom walls aren't that thick, Yang."

Yang felt her stomach drop. "Wait, you heard… oh, Ruby! I'm _so_ sorry!"

Ruby just waved her off. "It's fine, Yang. It wasn't that bad. Though…" Her cheeks reddened. "I did start keeping earplugs next to my bed."

Yang buried her face in her hands, completely mortified. "I'm just going to move on and pretend that didn't just happen." Meeting her little sister's eyes again and ignoring her own, much deeper blush, Yang continued. "Yeah, I've… had some fun with girls before, but… that's all it was… fun."

Ruby tilted her head, not quite getting it. Yang tried to explain.

"It was just… something we did, once we were comfortable with each other. Relieve some stress, have a little fun, just… enjoy being with someone."

Ruby nodded, kind of understanding. "Okay… is there something wrong with that?"

Yang shook her head. "Not really, just that while it was fun, that's was it. That's as far as things went. I didn't really feel anything… special afterword. But…"

Yang dipped her head down, unconsciously wrapping her arms around herself.

"Last night…"

Ruby blinked in realization. "Did you feel something?" She asked excitedly, scooting closer to Yang. "Something special?"

To her surprise, Yang hugged herself tighter. "I...I don't know. I felt... something. When I held Weiss in my arms… when I felt Blake curl up next to me… My chest felt… heavy, yet light at the same time. My whole body just felt warm all over. I… I couldn't stop smiling."

As much as the words made Ruby want to jump for joy, the sad, almost broken tone Yang said them in put a cold feeling in Ruby's gut. "Yang… that sounds great! Why do you seem so sad about that?"

Yang shook her head, blinking rapidly. "I… I've never felt like this before, Ruby!" Ruby flinched back at Yang's loud, desperate words. "And this morning, when I woke up and felt Weiss on top of me and Blake next to me, I felt it again! I… I just ignored it and did my usual thing and figured I'd just forget about it or try and figure it out later, but then… Blake shows up with these freaking bites and…" Yang's speech devolved into quick, rapid breaths. To Ruby's horror, tears started to trail down Yang's cheeks.

Ruby did the only thing she could. She threw her arms around her big sister and squeezed as hard as she could.

Yang's breath caught when she felt arms wrap around her. Looking down, she saw her little sister, the little leader's head buried into her chest, giving her the closest thing she could to a bear hug.

Yang stared unblinking for several seconds. When she started breathing again, it was with long, shaky breaths. Yang closed her eyes, resting her chin on top Ruby's head. Her arms slowly unwrapped themselves from around herself and found their way around Ruby's waist,

The sisters sat in the light of the dying sunset, one simply waiting while the other slowly brought her flow of tears to a stop.

"I'm scared, Ruby." Yang muttered quietly.

"Why though?" Ruby asked, voice slightly muffled due to pressing herself into Yang's chest. "Is loving Blake and Weiss that bad?"

Yang stiffened, unsure how to answer. "It… Ruby I just… I don't want them to leave."

Ruby jerked back, her eyes wide with shock. "Wha…? Yang, what do you mean?"

It took everything Yang had to not break her gaze with Ruby. "I don't… I don't want to love them that way, either of them."

"Why?" Ruby pleaded, desperate for an answer and for Yang to just start making sense.

Yang glanced toward the city, staring out over the blinking lights of Vale's nightlife. "What if I let them get close and… they leave?"

Grey eyes widened. "You think really they'd just leave?"

Yang swallowed uncomfortably. "Well… I don't think they'd want to, but… Blake was all set to run last month… and Weiss has that big-ass company of hers… things could happen, and…"

Ruby shook her head in denial. "Yang, they wouldn't just leave!"

"But they could."

"They wouldn't!"

"But they could!"

"Why would they!?"

"Because-!" Yang's voice caught in her throat, her eyes tearing up. Her head lowered as she said quietly, "Because it's happened before."

Ruby's eyes narrowed in confusion, before…

"Oh…" She said softly in realization.

"Yeah," Yang mumbled. "Oh."

Ruby scooted aside on the bench, turning away from Yang as she rested her arms in her lap. Yang did the same, placing her elbows on her knees as she buried her head in her hands.

After a few moments, Ruby tried to apologize. "Yang… I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"No… no it's… it's okay, Ruby," Yang said as she lifted her head, resting her chin on her palms. "Look, it's… it's not just that I'm afraid of either of them leaving. I don't…" She trailed off, the words hard to say.

"What?" Ruby prodded.

Yang sighed. "...What if I leave them?"

Ruby gapped at Yang's question, before outright smacking Yang on the arm. "That's stupid."

Yang chuckled mirthlessly. "Is it? Raven left dad, and… I'm her daughter. Who knows? Maybe it's genetic."

Ruby frowned at Yang or a few seconds, before crossing her arms. "Yang, show me the picture."

Yang blinked, turning to look at Ruby with a questioning gaze. Then the realization hit her, and she narrowed her eyes at her sister. " _Ruby…_ " Yang droned warningly.

" _Yang…_ " Ruby said in the exact same tone.

The two glared at each other, Yang with a look of warning while Ruby gave what she hoped was a determined glare, but to Yang looked more like an angry pout.

"...you're not gonna give up on this, are you?" Yang deadpanned after five minutes.

"Nope." Ruby said, popping the 'P' sound as she smirked.

Yang stared at her for another minute, before rolling her eyes, defeated. Reaching into her jacket, she felt for the hidden pocket on her left side. From it, she pulled out a wrinkled, folded photograph. She stared at it for a moment.

"Open it," Ruby ordered.

With a long-suffering sigh, Yang did so, though her eyes moved away before she could look at it.

"Yang…" Ruby said, her voice changing from commanding back to soft and caring. "Look at it."

Yang glanced at Ruby, looking into soft grey eyes, before finally focusing on the photo.

In truth, it was nothing special. Every kid probably had a picture just like it, buried in old photo albums on the family bookshelf. But for Yang… it was one of a kind.

In the photo stood a young woman, fresh into her twenties. In what might be the only recorded instance of her outside of battleclothes, she wore a simple black skirt and a red t-shirt with a black floral pattern along the waist. She had long, waist-length black hair, and piercing red eyes. She was smiling brightly.

And in her arms, cradled with utmost care, was a four month old baby girl. She had a small tuft of blond hair on her head, her tiny eyes a sparkling shade of lavender. She had a toothless smile on her face, giggling at something just out of camera range.

Yang stared down at the photo. Despite everything, she couldn't stop the slight curve of her lips as she took it it. She shook her head, closing her eyes. "You're still on this, huh?"

Ruby nodded sharply. "Yep. Sorry Yang, but… I just can't see someone that happy about being a mom just up and leaving. Not without a very good reason at least."

Yang just chuckled. This conversation use to piss her off to no end, usually ending with hurt feelings and broken furniture. But after all these years, Yang was resigned. Ruby truly believe something, and she would keep on believing it until the truth was blatantly shoved in her face.

Still, Yang had to try.

"You realize you're basing this off of one picture, right? This is your only 'proof' that Raven didn't just take off?"

Ruby nodded again. "Yep."

"Then what do you think happened?"

Ruby shrugged. "I dunno. Like you said, things can happen. Maybe she had to leave. Maybe… for some kind of mission?"

Yang raised an eyebrow at her. "A seventeen year long mission?"

Ruby pouted at her. "Well, it was just an idea."

Yang grinned at her sister's childishness, a genuine laugh breaking through her lips. "Ruby Rose, you are more stubborn than a Boarbatusk."

Ruby just stuck her nose in the air, in a near perfect imitation of Weiss.

Yang shook her head at her. She gave the photo another once-over, before folding it back up, placing it back in her jacket. "Okay, you made your point. But…" She ran a hand through her hair as the original topic came back to mind. "Ruby, how the hell would we make this work? Are you even okay with this whole 'mates' thing?"

"Yeah."

Yang blinked. "That was fast."

Ruby shrugged. "Well, I'd like to try anyway. And after feeling what Blake felt… I kinda want to be part of that."

Yang gave her a long look. "You really want to juggle a relationship with Blake and Weiss? How… I can't even wrap my head around that! Do you even love either of them?"

"Um…" Ruby hesitated, thinking hard. "I… really don't know. Though…" Her cheeks tinted a bit, glancing shyly at Yang. "I think I might be starting to… What bout you?"

Yang let out a long breath. "I don't know, Ruby." She droned out tiredly. "I mean… I guess I could see myself with Blake. Yeah, she's mellow and quiet, but that's what I like about her. And… she's not too bad on the eyes either," She finished with a half-smile.

Ruby nodded, her cheeks tinting as she smiled. "Yeah… what about Weiss?" When Yang gave her a questioning look, she clarified. "You said you felt something for her too, right?"

Yang frowned in thought, humming under her breath. "Well… yeah… that's kind of new, though." Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Y'know how Weiss hid in the bathroom last night, and I brought her out latter on? Well, long story short, we… talked a bit."

"What about?"

"Eh… Weiss was just kinda nervous, mostly about the whole 'girl-on-girl' thing. I just lent an ear for her. But…" She trailed off, her head dipping down again.

"What is it, Yang?" Ruby asked.

The blonde was quiet, before letting out a chuckle. "Y'know, it's funny." She lifted her head, looking out over the neon lit city. "I've been sittin' here, thinking over what I said to her last night. Then I thought about that feeling I had this morning, with Weiss and Blake. Now I'm going over the last few months, all we've done together, everything I've said to each of them… And I keep thinking, 'Is this new? Or… has this been building for a while?'" She put her head back down, shaking it slightly. "I just don't know, Sis."

Through it all, Ruby listened silently. As Yang finished, she mulled over what she'd heard, thinking about different options. A few things came to mind, but… one idea stood out over the others.

"Yang?" She asked quietly. Yang turned to her, and Ruby said. "Could we try something?"

"What, Rubes?"

"Could we… do you want to try reading my emotions?"

Yang's eyes widened as she jerked back. "Uh, what?"

"Do you want to try reading my emotions?" Ruby repeated. "Just to see what it's like?"

Yang stared dumbly at her, before scratching the back of her head nervously. "Uh, would that even work, Sis?"

Ruby shrugged. "I think so. I was able to feel you. That's how I found you out here. If I can do it, you should be able to too, right?"

Yang hesitated, then held in a groan when she saw the slight twinkle in Ruby's eyes, signaling that the younger girl was just a few moments away from unleashing the dreaded Puppy Eyes Pout. She sighed, fixing Ruby with a look and a slight grin. "'This ends badly, I'm blaming you." Ruby just smiled brightly in response, causing Yang to shake her head, exasperated. "So how do we do this? Hold hands or something?"

"No…" Ruby started, contemplating. "Blake said we have to… push our aura outwards, and… look through it, I guess? That's what it seemed like when I did it?"

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Look through my aura, huh? That's… kinda vague."

Ruby's shoulders slumped helplessly. "It's hard to describe. Just, push out your aura and… you just kind of figure it out as it happens. Does that make any sense?"

Yang smirked at Ruby's attempts. "I think I get the gist of it."

"Oh!" Ruby suddenly perked up. "And close your eyes. That makes it a little easier… at least, it did for me."

"Gotcha." Yang said, closing her eyes.

 _Might as well give it a shot, if only to make Ruby happy. Okay, so push out my aura… I guess… like this?_

Yang focused on her aura, and pushed, imagining a glow of yellow seeping out from her body as she did. And after a few seconds…

"Whoa… Ruby, is that ball of red… you?"

She heard Ruby giggle. "Does it look kinda cloudy and wispy?"

"Yeah?"

Right before her closed eyes, the mass of red aura seemed to glow, brightening a shade lighter. "Yep, that's me!" Ruby said cheerfully.

Yang chuckled a bit. "Wow, uh… this is different. Okay, I can… 'see' you now… so how do I feel your emotions?"

"Um…" Yang could just picture the look of concentration on Ruby's face. "Try to… try to reach out with your aura and touch mine. Like this."

Yang flinched a little when a wispy tendril of red started to stretch away from main mass of Ruby's aura. It edged closer to her, but stopped about halfway between her and Ruby.

"Uh… okay. Gotta say, Sis, we're hittin' about an eight-point-five on the weirdness scale here. I'll, uh… I'll give it a shot."

Yang tried to visualize it: a mass of wispy aura, a small trail of yellow slowly pulling away from it. To her great surprise, she could actually 'see' it; She could 'see' her own aura reaching out towards her sister's, almost like the two masses of aura were going to shake hands or something.

Before she knew it, Yang had closed the distance. There auras touched, red and yellow mixing.

They both gasped.

* * *

 **A/n: Yes, it's a cliffhanger. I am so sorry.**

Next chapter, a check-in with our favorite heiress.


	11. Chapter 11: Emoting

**A/n: Be warned. Massive sappiness ahead. I am sorry in advance.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Emoting**

 **Earlier...**

 _Spin._ Lightning Dust. _Click!_

 _ **BOOOOM!**_

A robot exploded.

 _Spin._ Fire Dust. _Click!_

 _ **BOOOOM!**_

A robot melted.

 _Spin._ Ice Dust. _Click!_

 _ **BOOOOM!**_

A robot froze in its tracks. Literally.

Weiss' body moved like it had a mind of its own, dodging and leaping around the room. There was no thought, no strategy. Just straight instinct. Like a girl possessed, she fell training bots left and right, though not a single one was cut or slashed by her rapier. Each one met its end in a violent, spectacular explosion of Elemental Dust, which Weiss' thumb kept changing the type every shot.

The room was near empty of students. Most had fled the room after a particularly excessive blast of Earth Dust sent a robot flying so hard and far across the room that two freshmen nearly got crushed in its path. The few who were brave enough to risk the heiress' wrath had wisely retreated to the upper stands, so they could watch the unfolding carnage in relative safety.

Not that Weiss noticed. Truthfully, she had yet to have a coherent thought since entering the room, her mind distracted by its needed reliance on motor control. Still, certain words and phrases kept springing to mind, even as she evaded strike after strike.

 _...mates… in heat… animals… White Fang… no better… took everything… tired of… pushed around… don't want to force you… biting one another… betrayal… no less… loved…_

 _Spin._ Ice Dust. _Click!_

 _ **BOOOOM!**_

 _Spin._ Earth Dust. _Click!_

…

... _Spin._ Lightning Dust. _Click!_

…

Weiss looked down at Myrtenaster.

The Dust chamber was empty.

She spun the cylinder all the way around.

 _All_ of the Dust chambers were empty.

Instinct screamed at her to duck. She did so, just avoiding the metal fist that passed through were her head had just been. With an upward slash, Weiss decapitated the robot, sending its metallic corpse skidding across the ground.

Realizing that that had been the last active robot, Weiss' hand automatically moved towards her scroll, strapped to her hip, ready to call for more. With a jerk, she stopped herself.

She blinked.

As if seeing for the first time, Weiss looked around her. What had once been a training hall had now become a scrapyard. Disembodied robot limbs were everywhere, and the whole room smelled of ozone and burning metal.

Weiss took in the carnage. She was breathing hard, and her arms suddenly felt like lead. She placed Myrtenaster back in its sheath, and her shoulders slumped. She suddenly felt very tired. She turned away from the destruction, not even having enough energy to spin on her heel. She walked across and out of the room, never noticing the flabbergasted and, in some cases, terrified faces watching her as she left.

As if they had a mind of their own, her feet carried her down the hallways. She passed a few students, none of which she said anything too. She thought she heard someone try to say something to her, but she didn't seem to notice.

A cool breeze made her dimly aware that she was now outside. Her head, which had never once stopped staring at the ground, lifted as she came to a stop. In front of her was a tree.

* * *

 _Weiss looked away from Ruby, who was chatting away about some new weapon modification she had seen, not having realized that Weiss had tuned her out a few minutes ago. Weiss' eyes scanned the groups of students, when she spied a familiar bow. Looking closer, she could see Blake sitting under a tree, enraptured by a large novel in her lap._

 _Apparently sensing eyes on her, Blake looked up. She blinked as she and Weiss made eye contact, before giving a kind, if awkward smile. She sent a little wave at Weiss._

 _Weiss, surprised, gave a smile and a wave of her own._

 _Blake's smile widened a little bit, before returning her attention to her book._

* * *

Weiss stared at the tree. Without thinking, she moved underneath it and sat down.

She just sat there, listening to the crickets chirping as the sky darkened. Words kept playing in her head, the voices that had said those words starting to blur together. She tuned them out.

She felt… tired. And angry… though, whether by time or exhaustion, the utter rage she had been in earlier had bubbled down to simmer. Not even nearly gone, but… at least she could think straight again.

"Why, Blake?" She asked aloud. When only the crickets answered, her thoughts turned inward. _I was trying. I was blocking it out; I was blocking_ _ **him**_ _out. The words, the thoughts… I had a lid on them._

Brown ears and a yellow tail flashed into her mind.

 _Velvet and Sun… I'm almost there. I see them nearly every day, but I'm almost to the point… They're not Velvet the Rabbit Faunus and Sun the Monkey Faunus, they're just Velvet and Sun. No different than me… at least, not in the way that matters. I was so close to that point…_

She closed her eyes as tears trailed down her face.

 _ **So why do this to me?!**_

Five minutes. In five minutes, Blake's words and revealed actions had utterly destroyed Weiss' month-long attempt of mental reworking. The carefully, painstakingly crafted barrier she had erected around her thoughts and actions had shattered, every repressed thought surging forward in a single moment.

 _Blake… made me her mate._

 _Mates._

 _Humans do not have mates_

Animals _have mates._

 _ **Faunus are nothing but-**_

"NO!" Weiss shouted aloud, before slamming her hand over her mouth. After a moment, her eyes slid closed, her hands clenching into fists.

 _No._ She repeated in her head. _No, they are_ not _animals. They are_ not _less than human. Those are_ not _my thoughts,_ not _my ideas. Those are_ his _ideas,_ his _views. I. Am not._ **Him** _._

 _Dust damn it, I'm crying again._

Weiss quickly wiped away her tears. She glanced around the grounds, finding herself completely alone. She let out a long sigh, wrapping her arms around herself.

 _Why, Blake?_

 _Why do this? Why make us your Mates? Why all of us?_

 _Why me?_

Weiss knew very little about Faunus Mates. The little bit of research she'd managed to do between schoolwork and training had not gone very far into that aspect of Faunus culture. She knew of the history, from the first meeting of Men and Faunus, up unto the Faunus war. She learned various Faunus customs, mostly political and social necessities. Faunus Mates, however, were apparently saved for later volumes than the one she'd been reading.

Still, what little she did know, mostly from passing references or cues for social gatherings, was that Mates were an important concept to Faunus kind. Though she'd apparently not fully understood just how important until recently.

And apparently… she was now Blake's

 _Why?_ She thought desperately. _How? Why would she do this to us? And why now? Why not latter? Is it…_

 _Is it because of last night?_

Weiss could feel the heat rushing to her face as memories replayed in her mind.

The previous night was… an experience. One that Weiss had never imagined herself having, never even giving it a thought. Now it was all she could think about.

It had been… nothing like what she'd thought. As she'd gotten older, Weiss had always had a rather clinical view on sex. The act of reproduction, of creating life. From her earliest teachings, that was all it was, a sentiment her private teachers planted in her no doubt on her father's order. Of course, as she aged into her teenage years and began to discover the world outside the bubble she'd been placed in, she'd realized there was much, _much_ more to intercourse then she'd been taught. However, between lessons, training, and the duties of an heiress, she'd never had the chance to look into anything. There wasn't the time. It wasn't important. It was something she would learn about later in life, in the far future.

Leave it to her team to shatter yet _another_ of her world views.

It was… Dust, how could she even describe it? Like Ruby, it had been her first sexual encounter… and her second… and her third…

Weiss' face burned crimson.

Definitely not a typical first time.

And yet… she didn't regret it. Not even remotely. Why?

Because of what she'd learned. Not so much about the act, (Though she had learned some rather… _interesting_ things about female-female sex) but rather, what she'd learned about her teammates.

Ruby was shy and bashful, yet at the same time, firm. Her nervousness had been obvious, but not cripplingly so. To Weiss' embarrassment, though they were both inexperienced, Ruby had, likely without realizing it, taken charge, and Weiss couldn't help but follow. Though, even with the situation, Ruby was still Ruby; so caring, compassionate and considerate, that Weiss never felt uncomfortable with her.

Yang had been gentle and patient.

Yang. Gentle and patient.

Those three words shouldn't be able to exist in the same sentence… not without the words "is not" separating them.

Yet, that's exactly what she'd been. The girl was made of solid muscle and her hands rough with callouses, yet her touch was feather soft. She let Weiss set the pace, which was obviously much slower the Yang would have liked, yet Yang never once complained. She simply smiled with an almost alien softness, one that Weiss couldn't help but return.

And Blake…

Blake was… beyond description. The whole time she never said a word, which Weiss had learned was what usually happened when a Faunus purposefully gives into their heat. But she didn't need to speak. It was almost as if she could read Weiss' mind. Like Yang, Blake let Weiss set the pace, but it was more than that. Whereas Ruby had _taken_ charge, Blake had given it. She gave Weiss total control of the situation and the soft smile on her lips said why: she wanted Weiss to be happy. That was all there was to it.

And there was no denying it; Having Blake curl up at her side, purring loudly as she rested her head on Weiss' shoulder, was simply the cutest thing Weiss had ever seen.

The main thing Weiss had learned however, was this: throughout the night, no matter who she was with at the moment, Weiss felt the same thing… safe. Whether she was with Ruby, Yang, or Blake, she felt safe, happy… cared for.

Weiss had, through complete chance, learned the difference between having sex and making love.

 _And last night was definitely the latter._

Which made the current situation all the worse.

Weiss lifted her hand, reaching into her shirt collar until she could feel it: the small ridges of scabbed teeth marks. Its existence baffled her. At no point in the night did she remember Blake ever biting her, Ruby or Yang. Past that, though, she was more confused as to how it was still there.

If Blake had bitten her at some point after she'd fallen asleep, (which must be what happened, it's the only thing that makes sense) then, even asleep, Weiss' aura should have healed the wound by now. There shouldn't be any bruising or scars; her aura should have…

Weiss' eyes widened.

" **In order for to create that bond, two Faunus have to give a portion of their aura their partner…"**

 _Blake's aura. She… she_ injected _me with her aura. It must be keeping the bite from healing._

 _There… there's a piece of Blake inside me._

Weiss suddenly felt very ill. Aura was a Hunter's life. It healed them, protected them. Some even believed that aura was a person's soul, made tangible to protect the body it inhabited.

And now Weiss had a piece of Blake's floating around inside of her.

Weiss' hands clenched again in a desperate attempt to calm her skyrocketing nerves. Calling on her lessons, she closed her eyes and looked inward.

As important as aura was, it came with weakness all its own, though few seemed to realize it. From Grimm blood to poisons to even rare people's semblances, there were several, if rare, ways a Hunter's aura could be compromised.

And a Hunter without aura was as good as dead.

As such, Weiss knew how to scan her own aura for defects or oddities. It was a lesser known skill, but with the money her father had shelled out for private tutors, Weiss had easily found someone who could teach it to her (along with a myriad of other obscure skills her father had deemed 'necessary' for her to know).

So it was little issue for Weiss to scan her body, searching out her own aura. Like a reflection of the frigid personality she sometimes showed, Weiss' aura was a well of uniform white, clean and pristine.

Well, except for the pitch black shadow floating near the center of it.

Weiss crinkled her nose. It was one thing to see and feel the bite on her shoulder, it was another to see a piece of foreign aura hovering in the middle of her own. What was strangely disturbing was just how obviously alien it was. Despite the wispy, almost fluid way her and Blake's aura appeared, the black shadow of aura stayed uniform, despite it looking like it should mix and fade into the sea of white aura surrounding it.

Weiss 'stared' at the piece of aura for what felt like an eternity. The foreign aura was obviously what was keeping the bite from healing fully. So maybe if it was removed...

Weiss frowned. Something felt… _wrong_ when she thought about expelling Blake's aura from her body, but she couldn't explain why. Like a lingering feeling in the back of her mind, so close to being remembered, yet remaining forgotten. Weiss shoved the feeling away.

 _I didn't ask for this._ Weiss repeated in her mind. Yet, curiosity lingered in her mind. _I wonder…_ She mused as she 'looked' at the wisp of black aura.

Not quite sure what she was doing, Weiss tried to 'reach' for foreign aura. She knew how to manipulate her own aura to focus in different parts of her body, so it shouldn't be too difficult to-

Weiss inhaled sharply, her eyes flying open. She took a slow, shuddering breath.

It was faint, an echo weakened by time and distance, but Weiss felt it all the same.

When she 'touched' the aura, a wave of emotions washed over her. A soft sort of happiness, an urge of protectiveness, and a very tender emotion that Weiss didn't feel comfortable naming.

Weiss felt them all.

And yet none of them were hers.

Weiss sat there, absorbing it all. Her feeble attempts to explain or deny what she was feeling petered out quickly.

 _Is that really what she feels?_ Weiss asked herself. She huffed in frustration, feeling even more conflicted. Her eyes slid closed, focusing back on the extra aura inside her, questioning what to do...

…

 _...huh?_

Weiss eyes blinked open. She looked around in confusion. There was no one around, nothing that could have disturbed her. She frowned at the ground. _Maybe…_

Her eyes slid closed again. A few moments later…

Her eyes opened, her brow wrinkled in thought. _There it was again! Almost like a… tugging sensation? On my aura?_

Determined, Weiss shut her eyes, and purposefully focused on the phantom feeling. It was weak, but distinct. Like her aura was being… pulled… in two different directions. Curious, Weiss, eyes closed, turned her head towards one pull, upwards and a little to the left…

Weiss mouth popped open in shock.

It was a second mass of aura. That… shouldn't be possible. Yes, there were individuals who could sense other people's aura, but Weiss was not one of them. And even if she was… this was nothing like her textbooks had described.

 _Someone else's aura… how could I…?_ That's when she noticed: the color. _This second mass of aura… solid black, surrounded by violet… just like…_

She 'looked' at the aura inside her.

 _Blake…_

Weiss felt the tug again, a little stronger than before. A small wisp of white aura stretched outward, towards the mass of black. Weiss focused on stopping it, but…

She 'looked' at her aura, then at Blake's, then back again.

 _I wonder if…_

* * *

Back in the dorm, Blake was curled up on her bed. She chewed her lip nervously as she tried to focus on the book open before her. Ever since Ruby had left to find her sister, Blake had poured over every book she had on Faunus relationships, even resorting to searching the web with her scroll, trying to find a comprehensive way of explaining to her potential Mates exactly what that meant. However, she kept hitting the same roadblock.

Humans.

Outside of that single paragraph from a single book, she could find almost nothing, but NOTHING, about Faunus/human mating. Oh sure, there were plenty of references to humans and Faunus _relationships,_ from social interaction to dating to even Faunus/human marriage. But when it came to a Faunus taking a human Mate, from Mate's Mark and beyond, there was absolutely nil on the subject. As for taking _multiple_ human Mates? Forget about it.

Not to say she had found _absolutely_ nothing. She was able to piece together a few coherent points from some of the books and a couple web sources. But the information was so barebones that Blake still felt like she was going into this blind.

The most infuriating part, however, was simply how simple it _should_ be. As she read each book, everything just made sense. Everything clicked for her, even the most minute obscure details. But it was when she took a step back and looked at the information from a different angle that she realized just how much trouble she was in. Specifically, that of a human.

When she read a book as a Faunus, everything made sense.

When she read the same book with a human mindset, one who knew next to nothing about Faunus or the basic life lessons that you would only learn growing up as a Faunus, everything fell apart.

Scent marking? Pack hierarchy? Aura pacts? How could Blake even begin to explain any of this to her Ma- _her teammates._

 _Get a grip, Blake. Nothing's certain yet. At best, you have one maybe._

Blake sighed, falling backwards. Her cat ears twitched when they were smashed against her pillow, making her run a hand over her head to straighten everything out. As her fingers passed over her left ear, she tugged at it gently, making her flinch.

 _I've made such a mess of everything._

This time yesterday they were all goofing off and playing in an arcade, the best of friends. Now they were separated, at least two of them in emotional turmoil, all because the damn cat couldn't keep her teeth to herself.

Blake tensed as her instincts kicked in once again, this time telling her to get up and move. As always, Blake ignored it, for multiple reasons. The main one being that she knew this feeling. It was one she'd felt numerous times over the years, every time she was uneasy or conflict arose:

Blake wanted to run.

She let out a huff, frustrated with herself. _That's always my answer to a problem: run from it. But I can't this time. This is my fault, my choice. I will not run from it, from_ them _. Not again._

She pulled herself up to a sitting position, lifting one of the books into her lap. _Okay, maybe if I look-_

She gasped.

 _Confusion. Frustration. Curiosity._

That feeling. Emotions not her own, yet felt just as clearly. And each one was tinged with an air of slight cold like… frost.

Blake closed her eyes, pushing out her aura, needing to 'see' what she felt.

There it was: a thin trail of white aura grazing against her own. Blake followed the trail it made, inner eyes landing on a familiar cloud of snow white aura.

 _Weiss…_

 _Is she reaching out to me?_ Blake couldn't help but feel hopeful at the thought, but shoved it down to think clearly.

 _Easy, Blake. Maybe… can I answer her?_

With a bit of focus, Blake stretched out her own tendril of aura.

* * *

Weiss was amazed. She could feel it, a well of emotions. Like the small piece of aura before, only this was fresh, raw.

 _Frustration. Sorrow. Hope. Happiness. Fear. Guilt._

With a gasp, Weiss snapped back to coherency.

 _That… that was…_ Weiss looked down at her hands. They were trembling.

She tightened them into fists. She took a few breaths, trying to bring herself now thundering heart back down to normal.

 _That was… something,_ she finally settled on. _They… they felt so real… just as real as my own emotions, but… different._ She tried to remember exactly what she'd felt from Blake.

 _...does she really feel that bad?_

Weiss shook her head. _No… no, I don't know enough about this… whatever it is. These feelings could… be faked, or… exaggerated, maybe. I need more information. Maybe if I… what is…?_

As Weiss closed her eyes to attempt finding Blake's aura again, she was surprised, and a little frightened, to see a thin string of black aura reaching towards her, just inches away from touching her own. Before she could react, the two tendrils of aura met.

 _Curiosity. Hesitance. Hope. Questioning._

Weiss fought the urge to blink. That felt… different from before. The emotions she'd felt before were unfocused, ambient. These ones, however, almost seemed to be concentrated, like they were being directed. Directed… towards herself?

Weiss thought it over. _If these are really Blake's emotions, and this is how she feels at the moment… and she's purposefully directing them towards me… is she trying to… communicate?_

New emotions bubbled up. _Relief. Happiness._ _Fear. Apology. Sadness._

Weiss frowned. _Apology? She feels sorry?_ Her frown morphed to a scowl. _Does she think an apology will make up for… all this!?_

Unbeknownst to her, her emotions reflected her thoughts.

* * *

Blake's brief joy at having Weiss 'hear' her emotional call was quickly wiped away by Weiss' emotions after she tried to transmit a feeling of apology across the link.

 _Surprise. Anger. Betrayal._

That last one cut the deepest, but Blake could not refute Weiss' feelings. After what Blake had done, Weiss had every right to feel betrayed. All Blake could do was respond as best she could.

* * *

 _...seriously, how could Blake believe a simple apology could make up for such an underhanded, possibly life-changing action? What could possibly…_

Weiss' thoughts paused as new emotions trickled through.

 _Sadness. Resignation. Understanding. Acceptance. Apology._

Weiss felt her scowl softened as she tried to put the new feelings into context. _Resignation, understanding… she knows that I'm angry and… accepts it? Sadness… my anger makes her… sad?_

Weiss' expression turned thoughtful. _Blake, she… you really feel that way?_

* * *

 _Confusion. Comprehension. Nervousness. Questioning._

Blake let out a sigh. She was fairly confident that Weiss got the message, but, Weiss being Weiss, she needed to be sure.

 _Yes, Weiss. You have every reason to be angry. I'm so sorry._

* * *

 _Understanding. Acceptance. Apology._

The same feelings as before, only stronger, sharper.

A small voice in the back of her head (a distressingly familiar, deep voice) kept whispering doubt to Weiss. How does she know this is real? What if she's being manipulated? What if Blake is faking these so-called emotions?

And yet, the more Weiss felt, the quieter that voice became. Even considering that the emotions she was feeling from Blake were fake just seemed… _wrong_. And what scared her was that she had no idea why.

Weiss thought over the last things she'd felt from Blake, a simple confirmation of her feelings. No malevolence, no ulterior motives; just a genuine regret of what she'd done.

While some part of Weiss was relieved, she mostly felt more confused and conflicted.

 _Then why, Blake? If you are really sorry for doing this to me, why do it at all?_

* * *

 _Relief. Confusion. Anxiety. Frustration. Questioning. Need._

Blake grimaced at the onslaught of new emotion. The brief sense of relief had calmed her a bit, but everything else was almost overwhelming. It was the last two that bothered her the most.

A sense of questioning and need.

The meaning was obvious: Weiss wanted an answer, _needed_ an answer. The problem was that, while she knew Weiss wanted an answer, Blake wasn't sure what the question was.

 _Confusion, frustration. Anxiety… that could mean a lot of things. Confusion… Everything about this situation would be confusing to her… Weiss, what…_

A new emotion trickled through, though not as prominent as the others. It was in the background, white noise against the Weiss' emotions, like an undercurrent beneath everything Weiss was feeling.

 _Betrayal._

Much as it hurt, Blake focused on that weak feeling, adding it in with everything else. After a moment, it clicked.

 _Betrayal, mixed with confusion, anxiety, a need for answers… she's asking why I betrayed her._

Tears pooled in the corner of Blake's eyes. _Weiss, I didn't mean to betray you. I never wanted to hurt you. I just…_ Blake's thoughts trailed off. Her mind was getting jumbled, unable to put what she felt to words. She brought her arms around herself, her ears pinning back as she lost herself to her own emotions. She tried to focus on Weiss, Ruby and Yang coming to mind as well. As she thought of them, and of Weiss' unspoken question, she did the only thing she could: let the Link say what words couldn't.

* * *

Weiss waited for some form of response from Blake, a wait that slowly stretched on for minutes. All she could feel was a vague sense of… indecision, maybe? Weiss' impatience was slowly shifting to anger the long she waited. She was _so_ close to getting some form of explanation as to why Blake would… _mate_ to her like this, and why her of all people. And when she was on the cusp of being answered, suddenly now Blake became tight-lipped, or tight… whatever the emotion sensing equivalent of tight-lipped was?

 _Blake, just tell me. Tell me why. Tell me why you did this to me, to Ruby, to Yang. You should have known how I feel about this. How I…_

…

 _How… I…_

 _I… oh my..._

One emotion. Just one emotion came across their linked aura. Just one emotion that said more than any words ever could.

To Weiss it felt like multiple emotions, all wrapped together. Affection, Conviction, Protectiveness, Happiness, just to name a few. There were so many… yet, they seemed small, just parts, pieces of a larger whole. And put all together, the final product was… it was so clear. Blake lo-

Weiss' eyes flew open.

The connection between them shattered, Weiss' aura retreating from Blake's like it had been burned. Weiss was breathing heavily, her heart a jackhammer against her chest.

Weiss stared ahead, her eyes still facing the same direction they had been when closed. She was able to pick out exactly which window was their dorm.

 _That… Blake…_

Weiss swallowed reflexively. She felt a drop of water hit her hand, dimly aware of the tears trailing down her face. With a deep, shuddering breath, she forced her eyes away from the window, looking down at her hands.

Weiss knew that feeling. She _knew_ it. It was slightly different, but similar enough… to what she felt for her sister… her mother…

She shook her head. _No… no, if… if that's really how Blake feels… If she really thinks she feels_ that _way towards me, she's not going to tell me through some… Faunus mate ability that I don't fully understand. She's going to… I want her to say it to my face, in her own words._

With a shuddering breath, Weiss pushed herself to her feet, wiping away her tears as she did. With new purpose, she marched away from the tree, and back into the school.

* * *

 **A/n: I warned you.**

 **Why did this chapter take so long? Well, as it turns out, out of all of Team RWBY, Weiss is the hardest one for me to write. I'm fine when she has someone to bounce off of, but when she's by herself, I struggle. If anyone has any tips on how to write her more believably, y'know, keep her in character, by all means, I need all the help I can get.**

 **Plus, writing a conversation where neither party can hear any words, only feel what the other is trying to convey? A lot harder to put to words than I thought. I'm still not sure I did a good job. It feels kind of heavy-handed at times, but after two weeks of editing, I am** _ **DONE**_ **with this chapter.**

 **I'll see you all again in the hopefully-not-too-distant-future!**


	12. Chapter 12: Overcoming

**Chapter 12: Overcoming**

Blake sat in the dorm room, staring at nothing. Weiss' reaction to her last feelings were… worrying. Confusion; of course. A sense of Wonder; positive, and a little flattering. But then… Panic. So much so that Weiss forcibly broke off the connection.

Blake let out a sad, frustrated huff. In trying to show what she felt for Weiss, she'd overwhelmed the heiress, probably scaring her off.

 _Great, just great, Blake._ She thought dejectedly. _Weiss' first time using a Mate's Link, and you scared her so much she ran from it. Just perfect._

She leaned back against the wall, banging her head softly against it in the process. She glared up at Yang's bunk, cursing her own stupidity.

Blake's wallowing in self-pity was interrupted by the doorknob turning, her cat ears perking up at the sound. Her eyes went to the door, and she nearly jumped when the focus of her thoughts walked hesitantly into the room.

"W-Weiss," Blake stuttered out in surprise.

Weiss ignored her, opting instead to softly close the door. Only then did she meet Blake's eyes. "Blake." She greeted, her voice sounding restrained.

She walked with a purpose, and sat on the edge of Blake's bed.

Blake opened her mouth to speak, but froze when Weiss fixed her with a piercing blue eyes. Her voice was hard. "What was that?"

Blake flinched at her cold tone, confused by the question. "What was…?"

Weiss huffed in frustration. She brought a hand to her face, pinching the bridge of her nose. "A few minutes ago, I was sitting out in the courtyard. I was scanning my aura to check for any foreign aura… _your_ aura… and while I was doing that, I felt this… pull." She met Blake's gaze again. "I 'saw', for lack of a better term, a mass of black and violet aura within the school, right where our dorm is. Blake…" Her eyes flicked away for a moment as she swallowed nervously. "Blake, was that…?"

Blake, pulling herself to sit on the edge of her bed as well, nodded. "Yes, Weiss. That was my aura."

Weiss nodded stiffly back, accepting the answer. "So then, the… _emotions_ I felt from that aura? What were they?"

Blake nodded again. "Those were mine too."

Confusingly, Weiss shook her head. "No, I-I mean…" She stuttered a little, nerves working their way into her voice. She cleared her throat, and tried again. "I already assumed that the emotions were yours. I meant, how was I able to feel them? How could I 'see' your aura like that?"

Amber eyes widened in understanding. It was her turn to gulp as she tried to work out how she would explain this very Faunus concept to Weiss of all people. She soon gave up and decided to take a page out of Ruby and Yang's books: be truthful and blunt.

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "It's called a Mate's Link. It's how Mated Faunus are able to feel each other's emotions. As for how, the way it works is that one Faunus gives a small portion of their aura to their would-be Mate. Once that has been done, that Faunus can then use that piece of aura as a… a beacon, I suppose, allowing them to seek out their Mate's aura. Likewise, the Mated Faunus can do the same, using that small portion of aura inside them to seek out it's source, the aura it came from."

The entire time she spoke, Blake watched Weiss' expression, gauging her reaction to her explanation. Weiss kept her face blank the whole time, except for the slight tightening of her lips near the end.

Weiss was silent for a moment, before looking off to the side, mumbling, "So that's how…" She looked back at Blake, her eyes hesitant. "Can I ask you something?"

Blake's ears perked up slightly. "Yes, of course!" A curious Weiss was much better than an angry one. Though the nervous way Weiss wouldn't meet her eyes…

"Is it… with this… Mate's Link… Is it possible to… _fake_ emotions?"

Blake could actually feel her heart skip a beat. Her ears shot straight up, her eyes widening. "Fake… no!" Weiss visibly flinched at how loud Blake's answer had been. Blake's ears pinned back as she winced. "Sorry, but… Weiss, you can't fake anything across… that would defeat the entire purpose of… oh, I don't know how to explain…"

Weiss watched worriedly as Blake struggled to find her words. Without a thought, she reached out and gently grabbed Blake's shoulder. The Faunus girl stiffened, shocked out of her confused panic. Weiss, surprised by her own actions, took a moment to collect her thoughts, before speaking softly. "Just… calm down and answer as best you can."

Blake stared blankly, before swallowing slightly, nodding. Weiss removed her hand as Blake's eyes fell to the carpet. After a few moments, she spoke. "You know the myths behind auras? About how they're actually our souls?"

Weiss nodded, a bit perplexed by Blake's turn in the conversation.

"Well… I believe them." Weiss' eyes widened a bit at the blunt admission, but Blake carried on. "Most Faunus do, actually. I've never met a Faunus who didn't, or at least, one who told me they didn't. It's something we're taught from a young age, that we're meant to hold onto throughout our lives."

Weiss nodded, fascinated. Her research hadn't mentioned anything like this yet. "Okay… so…?"

"So…" Blake continued. "That's what makes sharing our aura with our Mates so important. We're not just sharing our energy or strength. "We… I… gave you a piece of my soul."

A chill went down Weiss' spine at Blake's words. The small feeling of scarred teeth marks brushing against the fabric of her shirt suddenly felt a lot more pronounced.

Blake went on. "That piece of my soul will always be connected to the rest of me; it's a direct link to my soul." She turned to face Weiss, a tentative, nervous smile on her lips. "That's why I know you can't fake emotions across a Mate's Link. I couldn't hide how I feel from you if I wanted to."

Weiss gazed at her, letting the new information sink in. Blake's words… the implications…

"Wait." She frowned as a thought struck her. "Earlier, you said that you could only feel my emotions if I gave you permission. How is that possible if you have a direct link to my soul?"

Blake grimaced slightly, her lips forming a tight line. "It's… complicated."

Weiss blinked, then raised an eyebrow. "Most things are, until you explain them out loud. Can you try?"

Blake huffed slightly. "Well… it's not complicated so much as it's… awkward. You're right, usually with a Mate's Link, it works both ways. Both Faunus give each other a Mate's Mark, and then they're pretty much an open book to their partner."

Weiss grimaced. "That sounds a tad… _invasive_ , isn't it?"

Blake bobbed her head in a not-quite-nod. "I know it _seems_ that way, but it's meant to bring the Mates closer together, help them complete each other." At Weiss' confused look, she tried to clarify. "Okay, um… have you ever seen a couple where, one of them is upset, and the other has to guess at what's wrong to try and help?"

Weiss swallowed suddenly, her gaze dipping. "Yes…"

Blake hesitated at her response, but pushed it aside for the moment. "A Mate's Link is meant to help in situations like that. If a Faunus was distressed, all it would take is a quick 'glance' through the Link, and their Mate would know what they're feeling. If they're upset, angry, sad, frustrated; whether they want someone to talk to or need some space. It's suppose to help Mate's resolve issues, help support each other."

Weiss wasn't convinced. "I don't know, Blake. That just seems like a massive invasion of privacy."

Blake scratched at her ear absently, thinking of a response. "Maybe it just makes more sense to Faunus." She sighed. "We are, quite simply, part animal. Because of that, most everything we do is fueled by our emotions. How we act, how we _re_ act… it's all based off our emotions, which can sometimes lead us to overreact or be impulsive. So having someone who knows exactly how you're feeling… someone who will support you or reign you back… be your safety net..." she said with a small chuckle. "It's… comforting."

Weiss nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "Okay… I _kind of_ understand. I can see how having someone that... _close_ could be a comfort, but… all the time?"

Blake swallowed, forcing a small smile. "Well, it it helps… you don't have to worry about that."

Weiss frowned. "How do you mean?"

"Um…" Blake grasped her arm as she searched for an explanation. "The way this is _suppose_ to work is that is that two Faunus give a portion of their aura to each other, so they will always be connected and can always feel one another. But…" She sighed, giving Weiss a sidelong look. "... you're human, which… complicates things."

Weiss felt even more confused. "How so?"

"... a human can't create a Mate's Mark." She stared into Weiss' eyes, gauging her reaction. "It's something to do with a difference in biology. I don't really understand everything myself, but from what I can gather, me not having a Mate's Mark of my own… limits me a bit."

At Weiss' slight head tilt, she elaborated. "Okay, basically, you can use that little bit of my aura inside you, and have a direct Link to the rest of me whenever you want; you'll always be able to know how I'm feeling. However, since I don't have any of your aura inside me, I can't access your emotions the same way. All I can do is reach out to the piece of my own aura inside you, and then all I could get is a vague sense of what you're feeling. The only way I can truly feel what you do is… if you let me."

Wide blue eyes stared back at her. Blake watched as Weiss processed what she'd been told. After a moment, the heiress broke eye contact, staring down at her hands in thought. Suddenly, she shook her head, frowning. "Blake… " She murmured softly, her brows bright together. "It sounds like… you don't have much control over… Mating me." Her cheeks tinged at the end.

Blake gave a small shrug in response. "Its… _limiting_ , yes."

Weiss shook her head again, harder. "But… then why?"

Now Blake tilted her head. "Why what?"

"Wh- Why!?" Weiss suddenly lept to her feet, whirling around to stare down at the Faunus. "Why are you… Blake this… this sounds massive! Enormous! This Mating business sounds like it's one of the most important things you could do! So why… why…" She trailed off, her head tilting down, hair covering her eyes.

Blake's ears dropped in worry. "Why what, Weiss?"

She flinched back as Weiss' head snapped up, her eyes wild and wide. "Why me!?"

Amber eyes widened in turn at Weiss loud, almost desperate yell. Her ears pinned back as Weiss went on, voice quieter, if only slightly. "Why me? For that matter, why Ruby, why Yang? If Mating is so important and… _intimate_ , why choose people you can't fully experience it with? If it works best with another Faunus, then why…" She took a shuddering breath, her eyes misting. "Why me?" She whispered softly, eyes lowering again.

Only to raise in surprise as her arms were gripped softly by soft, strong hands.

"You're right."

Weiss stared up incredulously the girl holding her.

Blake swallowed nervously. nodding a bit. "You're right. It would make more sense for me to Mate to another Faunus."

Weiss just shook her head. "But then…"

"Weiss… out in the courtyard… do you remember the last thing I felt?"

Red entered Weiss' cheeks as mumbled a response. "Yes…"

"Do you know what it was?" Blake asked hopefully.

"... I… I think so, but…" Weiss shook her head in denial. "There… there's no way…"

"Yes, it was, Weiss." Blake responded, almost desperately. "That's really how I feel, I… I lo-"

"No!" Weiss pulled out of Blake's grip, holding up a finger at her. "No, no, y-you don't, you can't, I…" She took a step back, looking away from the hurt on Blake's face. "I-I'm a Schnee a-and you're a Faunus, how… how could you even…" She turned around, holding her arms around herself as she tried to control her quickening breath.

It was silent for a moment, Weiss not daring to turn around and face the hurt Blake must have been feeling.

"I respect you."

Blake's calm voice broke the silence, causing Weiss to tense up. The heiress kept her head down and her body facing away, even as Blake went on, her voice soft and calm. "Weiss do you remember when we first met? When I first saw you, I was _so_ sure you were just like the stories: a pretty little heiress hiding behind her father's name."

Weiss flinched at her words, but the lack of malice in her tone kept Weiss quiet.

"But as the days went on? As you slowly opened up to Ruby, smiled a little at Yang's jokes? I started to see that I was wrong. I started to see less Schnee, and more Weiss. And then, after you found out about… what I am…" Blake took a shuddering breath. "After everything came out and you knew about me and… the White Fang… you didn't turn me away… you gave me a chance. More than, that you… you're trying to learn." Weiss tilted her head ever-so-slightly in confusion. "I know about the book, Weiss."

Weiss whipped around, eyes wide with shock. Blake offered a small smirk of a smile, tapping the side of her head. "Night vision, remember?"

Weiss' cheeks tinted horribly as her head dipped in embarrassment. "Drat. I should have remembered that…"

Blake giggled lightly, before breaking her gaze, smiling softly. "When I saw that… Weiss, you have no idea how… _huge_ that is to me."

Weiss huffed, her blush dying down slightly. "Okay. I suppose I understand how you respect me, but… how does that translate to… more?" She finished lamely.

Blake nodded. "I'm getting there… you see, for me to Mate to someone, I would need three things: trust, respect, affection. Having those three things so strongly towards a single person is what allows me to give them a Mate's Mark."

"But then…" Weiss asked, apprehensive. "How could I…"

"You're willing to learn." Weiss' mouth snapped shut as Blake powered into her explanation. The Faunus swallowed down her nerves as she elaborated. "I know… at least I _think_ I know, that you were raised to think of Faunus a certain way, if how you acted the first few months were any indication."

Weiss frowned at her words, head dipping in silent shame.

"But, you changed."

Weiss's head snapped back up at Blake's amazed tone.

"You listened to me. You listened, and then, did your own research. You're actually willing to question what you know. That's not something most people are able to do. I respect you for that. And…"

"And…?" Weiss asked after Blake trailed off in hesitation.

"Well… you didn't do anything." Weiss blinked in confusion. "You found out I was a Faunus, that I had lied to you for months. You could have turned me into the Headmaster, or to the police, or plastered my name and history all over the web-"

"W-What?!" Weiss spluttered indignantly. "Blake, I would never-!"

"I know! I know that Weiss, _I know that Weiss…_ " Blake repeated her quick denial softly, grabbing Weiss hands and holding them in her own. "I know you would never do that to me. You're too kind-hearted, to loyal to do something so… cold." Blake's eyes lowered to their connected hands. "But I didn't know that then… I kept you, all of you, at a distance. I was so afraid, so _sure_ , that you would all reject me, so I tried to keep you all away. But then you found out and, in the end… nothing. You just… accepted me, and…" Her voice choked up, her eyes starting to glisten. "And, I realized… I could trust you."

The seconds ticked by in silence as Weiss absorbed Blake's words. Her eyes drifted from Blake's face to their clasped hands. a cold feeling wormed its way into her stomach, causing her to give Blake's hands a slight squeeze.

"You shouldn't."

Blake's head dipped up, confused as Weiss' soft statement. "Why?"

Weiss kept her head down, refusing to meet Blake's eyes. "After you ran… I almost did." She shook her head slightly, ashamed. "I really considered calling the Headmaster… or the police."

Blake's eyes widened, her heart giving a hollow beat as it dropped. She bit her lip, before hesitantly asking, "Really?"

Weiss nodded faintly, head still down. "You admitted you were in the White Fang, and, then you ran, and… It was like the last few months never happened. All I could think was, 'She's a Faunus, she's in the White Fang… she's a criminal.' It was like, a switch had been flipped inside me and suddenly… our friendship didn't matter anymore."

Blake's lips formed a grim line as she tried not to frown. What Weiss was saying hurt… a lot… but yet…. "But you didn't turn me in. Why not?"

Weiss shrugged, though her lips quirked a bit. "Ruby and Yang… and Penny too, I supose. We went out looking for you everyday… or rather, Ruby and Yang dragged me out to look for you. I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts… the whole time we kept looking, I…" She shook her head in anger. "I kept making those stupid remarks and… well, eventually made one comment to many."

Now Blake looked concerned. "What happened?"

To her surprise, Weiss let out a small huff of a laugh. "Nothing bad. Yang… made her frustrations known. And Ruby… honestly, I don't even think she knew what I was doing. When she looked at me and spoke, she just seemed confused and… disappointed. They woke me up a bit, made me look at things from a different angle. You know what happened after that."

Blake smiled. "And that's when you started learning about Faunus."

The smile disappeared when Weiss shut her eyes, her hands going limp in Blake's. "No… no, that happened a few days later…"

"Weiss?" Blake asked hesitantly. When she got no response, Blake raised one of her hands to Weiss' face, gently cupping her cheek as she lifted her head. Blue eyes snapped open in surprise. "Weiss, what is it? What happened a few days later?"

Blue orbs held onto amber for a few seconds, before Weiss looked away as best she could, unconsciously leaning into Blake's touch. "After you came back… I had trouble falling asleep the next few nights. I kept replaying what we said and what I was thinking and… I was so confused and frustrated… I couldn't figure out why I acted that way… until one night, it hit me."

"What?" Blake asked when Weiss remained silent.

Weiss' eyes flicked to Blake's face, before closing as Weiss leaned into the touch, purposefully this time. "That's what it was… an act. The moment I knew you were a Faunus and part of the White Fang, I just… shut down. I wasn't thinking the way I normally would have I… I was acting the way I… I _knew_ I was supposed to. I said those things because, that was what I was _supposed_ to do, I felt that way because, that's how I was _supposed_ to feel."

Blake took a step forward, fully worried now, only a single step separated them. "Weiss, what do you mean you were _supposed_ to?"

Weiss took a shaky breath. Her eyes opened, but Blake had the feeling that Weiss wasn't actually seeing anything. "That's how it is. That's how it's always been. Any time that Faunus are involved, you have to act that way, to feel that way towards them. It's the only way you can be around him…"

Blake blinked, feeling her stomach drop. "Him…?"

Weiss continued, off in her own world now. "To be around him, you have to think like him. To talk to him, you have say what he expects you to say. To spend time with him… you have to be like him." Tears started to roll down Weiss' cheeks.

"Oh, Weiss," Blake whispered, pulling the smaller girl into a tight hug, her cheek resting on her shoulder.

Weiss soft, muffled voice murmured brokenly into her shoulder.

" _I don't want to be like him_."

Blake held her tightly, carefully bringing them to the ground when she felt Weiss' legs wobble. She could feel the sadness and pain leaking through the Link, and her every instinct told her to do something, _anything_ , to stop the distress of her potential Mate. She closed her eyes, and thought of calm and peaceful things as she spoke gently into Weiss' ear.

"It's okay Weiss. I've got you. You're alright."

Weiss made no sound, no cries or sobs, but at Blake's words, she closed her eyes, leaning into the embrace as feelings of comfort washed over her.

Moments passed, Blake keeping up her soft words and sense of calm until she felt Weiss' dispair, while no means gone, dull and fade into the background.

Once she could feel that Weiss was calm, Blake spoke softly. "Weiss, you're nothing like him. I know it."

"Then why do I feel this way?" Weiss' muffled voice answered from her shoulder.

Blake contemplated her answer. "You've had to be this way for a long time? Years?"

Her only answer was a nod into her shoulder.

Blake let out a slow breath. "It won't just go away in a month, Weiss. When you've spent your whole life thinking and acting one way… it takes time to change. You're going to mess up now and then… you just have to keep trying."

"Couldn't have put it better myself, kitty cat."

Blake's head snapped up and she felt Weiss stiffen in her arms as the familiar, if unusually soft voice suddenly spoke.

The door clicked shut as Ruby and Yang stepped into the room, concerned frowns on their lips as they looked down at the embracing girls.

"How long…?" Blake started to ask as Weiss stayed still.

"Not long," Yang answered, keeping her voice low. "Just caught the tail end of what Weiss said." She knelt down beside the two, trying to look at Weiss' face. "You okay, Snowflake?"

It took a few seconds, but Weiss' head eventually dipped up, her blue eyes slightly bloodshot as they made contact with Yang's lavender. "I'm… okay." She murmured, her tone of voice making it clear that even she knew how lame her answer sounded.

Yang nodded anyway, seeing how spent the young heiress was. She glanced at Ruby, who had knelt down with her, having her concern reflected back in her sister's eyes. She turned her attention to Blake. "So what do we do now, kitty cat?"

Blake looked around, surrounded by her prospective Mates, and let out a defeated sigh. "I don't know. I have so much I need to tell you… this went nothing like I planned."

"Um… I have an idea," Ruby said hesitantly. Once everyone's eyes had turned to her, she went on. "It's kinda late. Why don't we sleep on it tonight, and, in the morning, Blake can tell us everything she wants to… together."

Blake was confused at her words, until she looked to the wall clock.

 _Ten P.M… is it really that late already?_

She felt Weiss nod into her shoulder. "I'm okay with that." She said, tiredly.

Yang gave a small hum. "Actually… not a bad idea, sis. Today's been… yeah. Blake?"

The Faunus took a moment. She wanted to tell them all how she felt and how the Mating proccess worked, but… maybe Ruby had a point.

"That'll work." She answered.

Ruby nodded, a smile finally gracing her lips. "Okay then. Team RWBY, to bed!" She called, even giving a sharp point upwards to make it an official command.

Yang rolled her eyes as she got to her feet, and amused smile of her own forming. Blake made to raise as well, her arms releasing Weiss as she did. But while Weiss let go of Blake, she made no move to get up.

"Weiss?" Blake asked.

"Hm? Oh, right. Sorry, I just- wah!"

Weiss' distracted words were cut short when Yang suddenly bent down and picked her up bridal style, as if she weighed nothing.

"Yang, what-?"

"You were taking too long! This was faster." The blonde answered with a cheeky grin.

Weiss looked up at her for a moment, before huffing indignantly, looking pointedly away. "I can walk…"

"Yeah, yeah…" Yang drawled as she deposited the now-brooding heiress onto her bed, before walking to her own dresser.

Weiss grumbled as she sat up, quickly getting off the bed. "I have to change my clothes too, you brute."

Blake smiled at the banter as she changed into her own sleepwear.

Soon, clothes were changed, weapons stored, and team RWBY had all found their way to their respective beds.

"Goodnight, everyone!" Ruby called as she turned off the lights.

"Goodnight, Ruby." Three voices answered back.

After half-an-hour, Ruby and Weiss had each drifted off to sleep. Blake wasn't too far behind them, but her mind just couldn't stop going over what she would say the next day. There was so much to cover… and she had no idea where to start. It didn't help that she'd given bits and pieces of the information to Ruby and Weiss, but neither had been given the same information the other had. And Yang hadn't been told anything yet…

" _Psst. Blake."_

Blake's eyes opened fully, drifting up to where she knew the blonde was lying. "Yes, Yang?"

"Um… okay, sorry if this sounds weird but… Ruby showed me how to do the emotion… sensing… thing."

Blake blinked, surprised. "She did?"

The bed above her squeaked as Yang shifted her weight. "Yeah… so, uh… do you think we could… real quick…" There was a hiss of air as Yang let out a frustrated huff. "Could you show me your emotions… please?"

Blake gasped lightly, but then grinned. "Sure, Yang. Go ahead."

She head Yang gulp. "Yeah… okay."

Blake closed her eyes, blocking out the the rest of the world. Right above her, she could see the whispy mass of yellow right above her, a small tendril of aura reaching down to her. Right before it reached her, Blake focused on Yang, bringing everything she thought about the blonde to the forefront of her mind. She felt the slight nudge as Yang's aura touched hers, and waited for Yang to say something.

She heard a gasp. The seconds ticked by, agonizingly slow for Blake's tastes. Yang suddenly took long, shaky breath.

"That, um… wow! I mean…" Yang descended into nervous, yet strangely happy sounding laughter.

"Yang?"

"O-Oh, n-nothing, Blakey. Just… that was really something. We, uh... yeah, we are _definitely_ talking tomorrow."

Blake looked at the underside of Yang's bed. The blonde _sounded_ okay. She let out a bit of her aura, brushing up against the mass of yellow.

 _Nervousness. Disbelief. Bafflement. Happiness. Hope. Relief._

Blake smiled. She considered asking Yang about what she was feeling, but thought better of it. "Goodnight, Yang." She said instead, getting comfortable for the night.

"Goodnight, kitty-cat.

* * *

 **A/n: Like last time, not real thrilled with how this turned out, but… a month-and-a-freaking-half! I hate sitting on stories like that. Weiss, Y U So hard to write? And don't worry, we'll get to Ruby and Yang next chapter.**

 **Hope you all enjoyed. I'm trying to rework my schedule so that I can have more writing time, because apparently you guys really like it. Seriously, over 200 alerts and over 400 favorites in under six months? That's nuts! Thank you, all of you!**

 **Drop a review, if you'd be so kind, and I'll see you next time!**


	13. Chapter 13: Morning After

**Chapter 13: Morning After**

Grey eyes blinked open. With a grunt, Ruby pushed herself up, rubbing the lingering sleep from her eye. Another grunt, and Ruby swung her body around, dangling her legs off of her bunk.

"'Morning, girls." She yawned.

…

Ruby blinked again. Her gaze drifted across the room. Yang lay sprawled across her bunk, arms wide and one leg hanging off the bed. Below her, Blake was curled up under her covers, on of her cat-ears flicking in her sleep. Ruby looked down, spotting Weiss' familiar white hair on her pillow, soft snores reaching her ears.

 _That's… weird… I'm the first one up? That's… never happened before. At least Blake's usually up by…_

Ruby's eyes turned to the wall clock…

And immediately bugged out.

 _6:30!? I'm never up by 6:30! Heck, I'm never up by 7:30! The only times I've ever been up this early is when I'm really excited or…_

A groan sounded below her. She glanced down to see Weiss roll over in her sleep. Her nightgown shifted when she did, revealing a small, purple bruise surrounded by teeth marks on her left shoulder.

 _...nervous._ Ruby pulled at the collar of her t-shirt. Tipping her head, she looked at her own mark on her shoulder, same as Weiss'. She let out a sigh as the memories came back, her collar snapping back as she released it. She hugged herself as she thought.

 _That's right. Blake's going to explain all this today._ Ruby bit her lip slightly. _Explain how we're her… Mates._

Ruby gulped. She wasn't… scared, necessarily, more… worried. Yesterday, she'd been so focused on making sure everyone was okay, she'd never actually stopped and thought about what exactly Blake had done… and what it meant.

Blake wanted… a relationship. Not just as teammates or friends or, in Yang's case, partners; she wanted an actual, true romantic relationship.

 _Though I think this might be a bit more serious than Yang's past relationships… and a lot more complicated._

Blake wanted Ruby to be her Mate… and she wanted the same for Weiss… and Yang.

Ruby let out a groan as she flopped back on her bed, throwing an arm over her eyes.

It was… weird. Not bad, just… weird. Ruby tried to picture herself with Blake…

And blushed as the memories of the other night flooded back.

Not helped that for every one of _those_ memories, she had another just like it with a certain heiress. _Then_ , her brain decided to play both memories at the same time, Blake on one side of her, Weiss on the other, and, _wow, is my heart suppose to beat that fast?_

Ruby shook her head, clearing away the mental images. She pushed herself back up, her eyes drifting across the room, landing on Yang.

 _And it wouldn't just be with me… Yang would be with them too… ugh!_ Ruby groaned again. _I really hope Blake can explain this stuff._

Ruby glanced back at her pillow. She briefly thought about going back to sleep, but sighed a negative. A major downside of her chipper, hyperactive attitude: once you're up, you stay up.

With a small grunt, Ruby lept down to the floor, the ropes holding her bunk creaking as the bed swung slightly. She took another look around the room. _Awake way before I should be on a Sunday morning… what to do?_

A soft hum grabbed her attention. She looked just in time to see Blake roll onto her back, the Faunus lips forming a slight frown.

Ruby tilted her head. She blinked, her eyes widening as a thought came to her. She hesitated for just a moment, before closing her eyes and focusing.

The room fell away, a void replacing it. Ruby looked around herself again, taking in the wispy clouds of yellow, white, and violet-clad black that took the place of her team. Unlike her previous times doing this, each of her teammate's auras were dim, only the faintest glow coming off of them. Ruby thought it odd, but pushed it aside, adding it to the list of questions she had for Blake.

Remembering what she had done with Blake and Yang the day before, Ruby pushed out with her aura, a trail of red reaching for Blake's black.

When the two auras touched, Ruby frowned. Blake's emotions felt… fuzzy. Hazy and unfocused, changing so quickly that it was near impossible to tell one from the other.

 _Maybe it's because she's asleep?_ Ruby thought to herself. Another question for the list.

Ruby focused a bit more. Despite the somewhat randomness of Blake's emotions, certain ones kept repeating enough for Ruby to pick them out. _Nervousness… doubt… fear..._

Ruby pulled away from Blake's aura, her frown deepening in concern.

 _Still worrying about this even in your dreams, huh, Blake? I really wish I could help somehow…_

Blake's ears twitched again as she mumbled in her sleep. Ruby paused, before a smile spread over her face. She tiptoed across the room and knelt beside Blake's bed. Very slowly, she placed her hand on Blake's head, her fingers cupping around her fur-covered right ear. She gently ran her nails across its base.

"...hmm…" Blake's lips curled upwards. The hum quickly turned into a light purr as Blake's body relaxed under Ruby's touch.

Ruby smiled. She closed her eyes and reached out again. Blake's emotions were still jumbled, but the negative ones had faded, leaving what Ruby could only describe as contentment.

Her smile grew. She stopped her scratching, instead just rubbing lightly at Blake's hair.

 _This… I like this. Maybe… maybe everything will be alright_.

Ruby stayed like that for a few minutes, until she was convinced that Blake was sleeping calmly. She removed her hand, pushing herself to her feet. She looked at the clock.

 _6:40… ugh, what to do…_

A growl sounded throughout the room.

Ruby jumped, her arm reflexively going behind her back to grab Crescent Rose… which she quickly remembered was stored away in her locker. Then she heard - as well as felt - a second growl.

She slowly looked down, her cheeks heating as she blushed in realization.

 _Right… no dinner last night._ She thought with an embarrassed giggle. Then a thought struck her. She looked around at her team. _Actually… with the whole Mates thing… I don't think any of us ate last night._

She blinked.

 _That's what I can do! Breakfast! Everyone wakes up, have a nice meal, everyone will start off in a good mood… perfect!_

Quiet as could be, Ruby snuck out of the bedroom, and into the living area, shutting the door softly behind her.

She tiptoed her way to the kitchenette, her mind filled with thoughts of a large breakfast feast.

 _Let's see… Yang would want toast, sausage, scrambled eggs, orange juice… Weiss, some sugared oatmeal with blueberries and raspberries… Blake, hmm… omelet, maybe? With a tall glass of milk…_

Ruby opened the refrigerator, ready to get to work…

...and quickly slumped where she stood.

 _Empty. Right… we never really use the kitchen. We always eat in the cafeteria…_

Ruby shut the refrigerator door, crossing her arms and glaring at it like it had offended her.

 _Well, so much for that idea. Maybe I could run to the cafeteria… except it doesn't open till eight on Sundays. Maybe someone else has food I could use and I can pay them back latter… except, no one would be awake this early in the morning. Heck,_ I _shouldn't be awake this early in the morning! What kind of person would…_

 **Ding!**

Ruby's head jerked up. Her eyes panned across the room to hallway door.

 _Maybe… well, I might as well try._

Quiet, so as not to wake her team, Ruby made her way through the dorm and out into the hall. She looked left and right, but, of course, there was no one around. She crossed the hall, stopping in front of the opposite dorm. She reached out to knock, but hesitated.

 _What if he's not up? I don't want to disturb anyone. But…_ She took a deep breath. _Okay… here goes!_

 _*Knock-knock*_

Ruby waited, rocking back and forth on her heels. She jumped slightly when the door opened.

A set of violet eyes stared down at her.

"Oh, um… good morning, Ren!" Ruby greeted, suddenly nervous.

"Good morning, Ruby." Ren replied with a nod. He was shirtless, wearing only pair of dark green sweatpants. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Well, um…" Ruby hesitated, her old instincts kicking in. She just now realized how little she had actually spoken with the stoic member of Team JNPR, and while she did consider him a friend, the sudden one-on-one brought back her aversion to speaking to new people.

Ruby tried to ignore the feelings, making herself meet Ren's eyes. "I was actually wondering if I could ask you for a favor, Ren."

Ren blinked. He raised an eyebrow. "What do you need?"

Ruby couldn't help the slight fidget in her shoulders. "Well… there's some personal, emotional stuff going on back in my dorm…" She trailed off, trying to think of what to say.

"Is everything alright?" She started at Ren's question, concern in his stoic voice.

"Oh, yeah, everything's okay… kinda… just, some things happened yesterday, we're planning to talk about it this morning once everyone wakes up. I woke up a lot earlier than I usually do, so I thought I'd try to make breakfast for everyone, but, um…" she trailed off again, her nerves acting up.

Ren's brow raised higher, the corner of his lips quirking. "Take your time, Ruby." He said patiently.

Ruby blinked up at him, gulping. "Well… we don't have any food." She said bluntly, her cheeks tinting in embarrassment. ""And, I remembered Nora saying you made really good pancakes…"

Ren nodded in understanding. "And you wanted me to make some for you."

Ruby's cheeks grew redder. "Sorry," She mummered meekly, her eyes falling to the floor.

"So what kind do you want?"

Her head snapped up, To her surprise, Ren had pulled a pen and a pad of paper from somewhere, looking down at her expectedly. "You… you'll do it? It's not to much trouble?"

Ren shook his head, a kind smile on his lips. "Not really. Nora has asked for pancakes at stranger times. It's not a problem. Do you want regular pancakes, or would your teammates want something added?"

"Um…" Ruby blinked, stunned by Ren's generosity. "What do you have?"

Again, Ren's eyebrow raised. "Ruby, I usually make pancakes for Nora. If it can go in a pancake, we have it."

Ruby blinked. "Really?"

Ren stared down at her, expressionless. "Eggplant."

Ruby's eyes widened, before grimacing. "Eww…

Ren shrugged. "Nora liked them. So…?"

"Oh! Well… Weiss would probably want blueberries in hers…" She paused as Ren put pen to paper, the sound of writing unnaturally loud in the empty hallway. "Blake.." Ruby thought for a minute. _I've never seen Blake eat pancakes… what would she like?_ "...apples and cinnamon?" Ren's only answer was to continue writing. "And Yang… peanut butter chips. Topped with powdered sugar."

Ren smirked a bit as he wrote. "You know your team well."

Ruby blushed at the praise. "I try."

The hall fell silent. Ren looked up from the paper, staring at Ruby expectedly.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"...do you want any for yourself?"

Ruby blinked again. "Oh! Oh, um… chocolate chip… if it's not to much trouble."

To her surprise, Ren let out a small chuckle as he set the paper down behind the door. "None at all. It will be about twenty minutes or so. That okay?"

Ruby nodded, smiling brightly. "Yeah! Thanks Ren!"

"No problem. I'll bring them over when their done." He went to close the door, before turning back. "Ruby?"

"Yes?"

"How did you know I would be awake at this time?"

"Oh! Um…" Ruby fidgeted a bit at the question. "I overheard Jaune saying how he got up for a glass of water one morning, and you scared him by already being in the kitchen."

Ren nodded, an amused smile on his lips as he closed the door. He turned around to head to the kitchen…

And nearly ran into a wall of pink.

Nora Valkyrie stood not a foot away from him, clad in a pink t-shirt and shorts, her hair sticking out at odd angles… and her eyes still closed, drool dribbling from the corner of her mouth as she snored, her head tilted to the side.

Ren resisted the urge to roll his eyes, instead gently grasping his partner by the shoulders, turning her around, and guiding her to the kitchen as she mumbled in her sleep.

"Reeeeennnn-Caaaaakessss..."

* * *

"So where did you go?"

Ruby jumped as she slipped back into her dorm room. She looked to the side to see Yang sitting backwards in the desk chair, her head resting on her folded arms. A quick glance at the rest of the room showed Weiss and Blake still asleep, light snoring coming from the left side of the room.

Ruby gave Yang a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of her head. "Well, I thought I'd make breakfast for everyone, but since we don't have any food… I asked Ren to make us pancakes."

Yang raised an eyebrow at that. "Really? Cool. Sounds good." The sister's fell silent, Weiss' snores being the only sound in the room as Ruby stood awkwardly by the door. Yang let out a sigh. "So… you gonna tell me why you're up so early?"

Ruby sighed in turn. She leaned against the door and slowly slid to the ground. "I dunno. I just… woke up and didn't feel like sleeping anymore."

Yang nodded. "Same." She whispered. She jerked her head towards Blake's bunk. "Excited or nervous?"

Ruby's lips quirked a bit. She shrugged. "Both. You?"

Yang smirked too. "Yep."

Silence reigned. Neither girl spoke as the minutes ticked by, just listening to their partners breathing.

"I did the emotion sensing thing with Blake," Yang finally said. "After you and Weiss went to bed."

Ruby perked up, hope in her eyes as she looked up at Yang. "Yeah? And?"

Yang took a long, deep breath. "And… you were right." She admitted, a soft smile on her lips. "She really does… feel that way. She… loves me. Like, actually _loves_ me."

Ruby beamed, crossing her arms. "Told you." She teased.

Yang let out a chuckle. "Yeah, you did." She paused. "She loves you too."

Ruby stiffened a bit, her crossed arms turning into a self-hug. "Y-yeah, she does," She agreed quietly.

Yang just nodded. "And if last night was anything to go by, she loves Weiss just as much as us."

"...this is weird, isn't it?"

A true laugh escaped Yang's lips. "Oh, extremely." She turned back to Ruby, her smile falling at seeing Ruby's distress. She straightened up in her chair. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Ruby shrugged, eyes on the floor. "I dunno…"

She jumped as she felt a muscled arm wrap around her shoulders. She looked up to find concerned lavender eyes meeting her own. "Uh uh, no clamin' up. What's eatin' at ya, sis?"

Ruby hesitated, before leaning against Yang's shoulder, hanging her head. "Do you think this could work? Me, Blake, and Weiss, and… _you_ , Blake, and Weiss?"

Yang didn't say anything for a few seconds. Then she leaned back her head, hitting the door with an audible _thump_. "Honestly, Ruby? I have no freaking idea."

Ruby couldn't help the slight snort that escaped her. "Well, that's helpful."

Yang responded by lightly slapping Ruby's side. They sat in silence for a moment, Yang eventually breaking the silence. "I want to be mad at you right now."

Ruby flinched a bit, looking hurt. "Why?"

Yang gave Ruby's arm a light rub, calming her. "Because… last night, when we… _shared_ emotions… I felt how much you care for Blake and Weiss." She met Ruby's gaze. "You love them, don't you?"

Ruby shifted, her cheeks tinting, "I think so… that makes you mad?" She asked worriedly.

Yang shook her head slightly. "It should… 'cause I think I feel the same way. But… I'm not."

Ruby blinked. "Why not?"

Yang huffed out a laugh. "Because it's kind of hard to be mad at you when I know _exactly_ how happy they make you."

Ruby nodded, a small smile forming on her lips. "... they make you happy, too."

Yang hung her head, a smile playing on her lips. "Yeah… yeah, they do." She suddenly threw back her head, covering her face with her free hand. "Dust, this is so messed up."

Ruby smiled, leaning her head on her sister's shoulder. "Yang, our whole lives have been messed up. Why should our love lives be any different?"

Yang snorted with laughter. "Ain't that the truth." She pulled her head back up. Her eyes panned across the room, finally stopping on a certain heiress. "So… when exactly did you start crushing on Weiss?"

Ruby stiffened, before sighing. "Honestly? Since I first met her."

Now Yang blinked in surprise. "Really? That early?"

Ruby nodded, blushing. "When I first saw her, I kept thinking how pretty she was. And after we became partners… I dunno. The more we got to know each other, the more I liked about her."

"Such as?" Yang asked, a sly smile on her lips.

If Ruby noticed, she didn't care. "She's really smart… way smarter than me." Ruby ignored the disapproving smack against her head. "She's dedicated, loyal… and she's caring, though she tried to hide it." She turned to look Yang in the eyes. "You ever noticed how she doesn't take praise well?"

Yang chuckled. "You mean how when you compliment her, she'll do that cute little blush, then act like she doesn't care?"

Ruby laughed with her. "Yeah… why do you think she does that?"

"I really don't know, Rubes. Though I do think she tries to act tougher than she is sometimes."

Ruby nodded. "I wish she wouldn't, though. I think she'd be happier then."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "You think so?"

Another nod. "I think Weiss could be a really sweet, kind person if she just let herself. We'd just have to…"

"Dig through ten feet of ice to find her?" Yang supplied, grinning.

Ruby gave her a half-hearted glare, her own smile still in place. "Something like that. So… when did _you_ start having feelings for Weiss?"

Yang let out a long breath through her nose. "Can't really pin down an exact time, Sis. And trust me, I've been trying to since yesterday. Something just… clicked when I woke up yesterday."

Ruby nodded. Her eyes drifted away from the heiress, instead moving to the other girl in the room. She hesitated, before turning back to her sister. "Yang? I know you know that Blake loves you, but… do _you_ like _her_?"

Yang stiffened. She turned her head away from Ruby, not really looking at anything. After a few moments, she glanced back at Ruby. "Honestly?"

Ruby nodded.

"...I was going to ask her out next week." Yang said, her cheeks tinting.

Ruby blinked in surprise. "Really?"

Yang gave a small nod. "Yeah. I was going to take her to a nightclub or something, just to see if there might, _might_ , be something between us." She chuckled a little. "Guess that'd be kinda pointless now." She gave Ruby a sidelong look. "Soooo…"

Ruby huffed, already knowing the question. "I don't know, Yang. I never really considered me and Blake being a couple. At least not until…" She trailed off, feeling her face heat up. She gave Yang a nervous look. "Blake's a really good kisser."

Yang snorted out a laugh. "Yeah… yeah she is." She agreed, a bit more red entering her face at the memories that came back. She gave Ruby a sly grin. "Weiss ain't too bad either."

Ruby's cheeks darkened further, a fond smile creeping onto her face. "No… no she is not." Her eyes went back to the heiress. She frowned. "Yang?"

"What?"

"Do you think Weiss likes us… like that?"

Yang let out a long breath. "I really have no idea, sis. We'll just have to ask her and find out."

Ruby gulped. She squirmed a little where she sat. "But… but what if she doesn't- Ow!" She exclaimed, rubbing the side of her head.

Yang fixed her with a reproachful look as she pulled her arm back to herself. "Don't start with the 'what-ifs' again. You always work yourself up when you do that."

Ruby huffed as she rubbed her head. "Sorry." She mumbled. She looked across the room at her sleeping teammates, looking thoughtful. She let out a sigh, leaning her head back. After a moment, Yang did the same.

Silence fell, only the sound of deep breathing breaking the dead quiet.

"Yang?" Ruby asked quietly, staring up at the ceiling.

"Hmm?"

"I love Weiss."

Yang nodded, still looking up. "Yeah, well… I love Blake."

"...I love Blake."

Yang let out a defeated sigh. "And… I love Weiss."

The sisters turned to each other. They held each other's stare for a few seconds.

Ruby snorted. Yang did the same. They both hung their heads, their forehead touching, as they descended into giggles.

"We're hopeless." Yang laughed, a large grin on her face.

"Completely." Ruby agreed, her smile just a big.

The two sat there, each embracing the others weirdness, when...

 _Surprise. Shock. Happiness. Fear. Denial._

Ruby stiffened, feeling Yang do the same. She lifted her head, meeting Yang's eyes.

"Yang, did you feel that?"

Yang nodded. "Yeah."

"That wasn't you, was it?"

"Nope."

"And it wasn't me…" Ruby slowly turned to the rest of the room, at the two people still in bed. Her eyes narrowed, before closing.

Yang's mass of yellow was right next to her, bright and glowing. To the right, Blake's black and violet was glowing faintly, dim and dark, just like before. On the left was Weiss white aura…

Glowing.

 _Brightly_.

Ruby opened her eyes, looking to Yang just in time to see her do the same. They shared a knowing look, before turning to the left side of the room.

"Weiss." Ruby called out, just loud enough to be heard.

The form under Weiss covers stiffened, but didn't move.

Yang snorted. "We know you're awake, Snowflake."

It was quiet for a few seconds, before large sigh sounded. With a muttering of "drat," Weiss slowly pushed herself up. "G-Good morning Ruby, Y-Yang." She greeted politely, her eyes down, refusing to look at the sisters.

Yang was having none of it. "When did you wake up?"

Weiss fidgeted a little. "A few minutes ago."

Yang nodded. "How much did you hear?"

Weiss gulped audibly, her crystal blue eyes flitting up towards Yang, then Ruby, then back down at her hands. "E-Enough." She stuttered out.

Yang looked at Ruby, who nodded, a bit of worry in her eyes. Yang turned back to Weiss. "Weiss, come over here."

Weiss' head snapped up in surprise. "W-Why?" She asked, wary.

Yang resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Weiss, either you come over here, or we'll come over there. Which would you prefer?"

Weiss held her stare for a moment, before letting out a huff. She slowly got out of bed, glancing briefly towards the Faunus sleeping in the next bed, then glided across the room, stopping a few paces from the sisters.

She went to sit down across from them, when Yang suddenly scooted away from Ruby, leaving a person-sized gap between them. With a kind but commanding smile, Yang patted the floor next to her.

Weiss hesitated. Any other day, she would have just rolled her eyes, passing it off as Yang being her brash self. But now…

Ruby scooted over a bit herself, leaving more room between Yang and herself. Her grey eyes looked into Weiss blue, bright and hopeful as always.

With a sigh and a roll of her eyes, Weiss sat between the two. She crossed her arms, determined to handle the situation with calm and poise.

Poise which was shattered once Yang opened her mouth.

"So, Weiss… wanna be our girlfriend?"

Weiss could _feel_ her face turn a shade of red that should not be humanly possible. Her head snapped to the blonde, who, despite the cheeky grin on her face, had an expression that said Yang was serious.

"Ah ah ah, I-I-I-I…" Weiss just babbled as her brain tried to pick itself up after being hit by Yang's bluntness.

"Yang!" Ruby hissed, mortified.

"What?" Yang challenged, grin still in place.

"You don't just… ask someone that!"

"Why not? I said we'd have to ask her."

"Well… _yeah_ , but… you could have… I don't know, eased her into it or… something..."

"Hold it!" The sisters stopped their bickering when Weiss suddenly threw her arms up, nearly hitting the girls at her sides. "Both of you, stop! Just… stop!" Weiss rubbed her temples the beginnings of a headache forming. Not helped by her still inflamed face. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She turned to Yang, face stern. "Yang… why?" Whatever emotion she had tried to muster up burned out in an instant, leaving Weiss' question as a confused, tired moan.

Yang, grin faded to a gentle smile, merely shrugged. "We were going to ask you at some point. I figured we should get it over with now. Sooo…?"

Weiss shook her head. She looked to Ruby, hoping for some support, but instead found Ruby, while blushing and embarrassed, waiting for an answer as well. She looked between the two, baffled. "Be your girlfriend. To… both of you?"

The two paused. They leaned around Weiss, having a silent conversation with their eyes. They shrugged to each other, smiled, turned to Weiss, and nodded.

Weiss looked at them like they were crazy. "H-How!? How could I d-date both you? A-And what about Blake?"

"We'll... definitely have to work on the details later." Yang stated awkwardly, Ruby nodding in agreement. "As for Blake, well… that's kind of why I'm asking you."

Weiss stared at her, taking another deep breath. "Explain." She said evenly.

Yang sighed in exasperation. "Okay, look, I know things got kind of… uncomfortable before we all… split-up yesterday, but, do you two remember what Blake said said?"

Weiss grimaced. "You mean about… Marking us?"

Yang shook her head. "After that."

Weiss' brow scrunched in thought.

"Oh!" Ruby exclaimed, drawing the other two's attention. "She said the bond would be equal… right?"

Yang poked her on the nose. "Bingo. And right after that, before _someone_ needed some air…"

"Hey! I was just… overwhelmed…" Weiss defended, though her head dipped down in shame. She was brought out of it when Yang bumped her shoulder, an understanding look in her eye.

"Hey, you weren't the only one. I took off right after you did." Weiss' eyes widened at her. Yang cleared her throat. "A-Anyway, right before that she said something: that none of us would be less important than the others. No less…" She trailed off, embarrassment stealing her words.

"Loved." Ruby finished with a smile.

Weiss and Yang shared a blush, glancing at eachother. "Yeah," Yang agreed. "I don't think she just meant with how she'd be with us. I think she also meant that we, the three of us, would be that way with each other."

Weiss seemed to shrink in on herself, cheeks ablaze. She glanced awkwardly between Ruby and Yang. "I-I don't know..."

A familiar warmth spread over her as Yang draped her arm over her shoulders. "Well, you don't have to answer right this second."

Weiss fixed her with a look of shock. "You… you just asked if I wanted to be your girlfriend!"

Yang stared at her, perplexed. "No I didn't."

Weiss scoffed in disbelief, jabbing a finger at Yang's nose. "Yes you did! You used those exact words!"

Yang's eyes widened in realization. "Well, yeah, but I didn't mean become our girlfriend, like, _now_ , just… if you were okay with the idea of it."

"That's not what you said!"

"Well, that's what I meant!"

"Guys!" Ruby hushed. The bickering two turned to her, finding her pointing towards the missing member of Team RWBY.

Blake let out a grunt in her sleep, murmuring incoherently, before turning over, facing away from them.

The three let out a breath they hadn't realized they'ed been holding.

"I'm surprised she slept through our talking." Weiss whispered.

"And arguing." Yang added.

"She was really stressed yesterday," Ruby said, earning curious stares. "I think it made her really tired."

Yang nodded in agreement, then turned back to Weiss, still held in her arm. Weiss felt her eyes on her, meeting them reluctantly. "What?"

Yang just raised her eyebrow a fraction.

Weiss realized what it meant: Yang wanted an answer. Weiss exhaled. "Yang, I… Until yesterday, I never even considered pursuing a romantic interest." Her head dipped down again as she added quietly. "Let alone with my own gender…"

Weiss suddenly felt another arm wrap around her, this one smaller, cooler, more slender. Ruby scooted over so their hips were touching. "Would it be a bad thing… being with us?"

Weiss heard Ruby hesitate, feeling that she'd substituted her words at the last second. She hated the sudden feeling of helplessness she had at being so utterly _lost_. "I… I don't…"

"You heard me and Yang taking, right?"

Weiss blush was all the answer they needed, though she tried to anyway. "Y-Yes?"

"A lot?" Ruby questioned.

"E-Enough." Weiss muttered, not looking at her leader.

"Enough to know how we feel about you?"

Weiss swallowed, her eyes darting between the girls holding her. "I… heard you, but… I don't…" She lowered her head as she whispered, "How? How could you…?"

Ruby frowned. She looked over Weiss head at Yang, seeing her sister doing the same. In the same instant, they came to the same decision.

"Weiss?" Ruby murmured into her ear.

Weiss inclined her head slightly. "What?"

Yang gave the heiress a light squeeze, whispering to her. "Close your eyes, Snowflake."

Blue eyes widened in shock as Weiss realised what they intended. Her head snapped to the left, then the right, only to be met with soft, reassuring smiles. After a few deep breaths, Weiss closed her eyes, with no small amount of apprehension.

She could see it. Their auras side-by-side, so close that only a sliver of space separated them. In the next instant, that space disappeared. Weiss gasped.

 _Comfort. Care. Respect._

 _Affection. Adoration. Trust._

It all rushed over Weiss in an instant, so fast and so strong that she could barely tell which emotion came from which sister.

 _Protectiveness. Sympathy._

 _Happiness. Concern._

 _Lo-_

 _Lo-_

" _Stop!"_ Weiss nearly screamed, holding her head in her hands. "Stop, please, just… stop." She pleaded desperately.

A dual sense of remorse washed over her as Ruby and Yang removed their arms, instead moving in front of her. "Weiss!" Ruby panicked. "Oh, geez, I didn't mean…"

Yang wasn't much better. "Sorry, Snowflake! Oh, man, we shouldn't of…"

"Stop! Please, just…" Weiss practically buried her face in her hands, taking shaky breaths as her eyes stung. "First Blake, now you two… I just don't…"

"'Don't' what, Weiss?" Ruby asked, grey eyes flooded with concern. "Please, tell us what's wrong."

After a long, quiet moment, Weiss sniffed. "I don't get how you… any of you, could… love me." The last two words sounded like they took all of Weiss energy to say.

Yang scooted forward so her and Weiss' legs touched. "What do you mean, Weiss?"

Weiss lifted her head, meeting Yang's eyes, looking _so_ , so lost. "How could you love me when… when I haven't done anything?"

"Done anything?" Yang repeated, utterly confused.

Weiss sniffed again, tears visible in the corners of her eyes. "How can you love me when… when I haven't done anything to earn it?"

Ruby and Yang blinked. They turned to each other, more concerned than confused. They turned back to Weiss, Ruby speaking up. "Weiss… you don't have to… _earn_ love."

Weiss looked at her, eyes crinkling in confusion. "W-What?"

The leader scooted forward, taking Weiss hand in her own. "Weiss… we don't love you because you did something to make us. We just… like who you are."

Weiss shook her head, not comprehending. "I don't…"

"Weiss," Yang said sternly, taking Weiss' other hand. "We love you because you're _you_. That's all there is to it."

Weiss looked between them, taking wavering, ragged breaths. Her gaze drifted downward, at her hands held tightly by each of the sisters, all the while unaware that her jumbled emotions were open to the girls before her.

 _Confusion. Denial. Hope. Desperation. Longing. Fear._

That was all Ruby could take. With her free hand, she grasped the side of Weiss' head, lifting her chin with her thumb. Before Weiss could react, Ruby surged forward.

Weiss' eyes shot wide, before slowly sliding closed. Ruby's lips were soft, hesitant. Clearly, she had no real idea what she was doing, but it didn't matter. Because the whole while Ruby's lips worked against Weiss', Ruby poured every positive emotion she had across the Link.

Yang sat back, watching the… unique sight of her sister and… well, _one_ of her newest love interests kiss. She couldn't help the small, sharp jolt of jealousy that shot through her at the sight, but strangely… it burnt itself out almost instantly. There was no heat to the kiss, no passion... at least, not the kind that she usually saw. But at the same time…

Yang smiled as she saw Weiss relax, the tension in her shoulders fade away. She felt Weiss grip her hand as the kiss deepened.

And… she could feel it. The bond… the Link between them. Yang had no doubt that, had she closed her eyes at that moment, she would see a their aura's glowing so brightly, the red and white light would look pink.

As odd as it was… seeing Weiss and Ruby kiss just felt… right.

But… as right as they looked together… Yang couldn't help feeling… left out.

Which is why, once Ruby and Weiss seperated, Yang gently turned Weiss' head towards her, and captured her lips for her own kiss.

* * *

 _Surprise. Nervousness. Disbelief. Relief._

 _Tenderness. Reassurance. Caring. Satisfaction._

 _Happiness. Contentment. Joy. Humor._

Blake's eyes blinked open. She arched her back as she stretched out her arms and yawned, chasing away the last bits of sleep. She frowned in confusion.

 _That was… strange,_ she thought as she pushed herself up. _That dream was so vivid. Almost like…_

Blake's thoughts came to a halt as she sat up, the sight before her making her blank.

Across the room, her teammates… her potential Mates… sat across from each other. And from the looks of it…

 _Are Weiss and Yang… making out!?_

Yang was leaning over Weiss, lips locked as the heiress was pressed against the door. Though given the way Weiss' head was pushed forward, it seemed the heiress was giving as good as she got, or at least trying too.

Beside them, Ruby sat watching them, her cheeks reddened in a deep blush. She had her free hand pressed against her lips, like she was trying to hold back giggles.

That was another thing Blake noticed: despite the rather heated kiss she was having, Weiss had each of her hands held by one of Ruby's and one of Yang's.

Pushing aside the shock, Blake closed her eyes, pushing out her aura. Her breath caught.

 _Their aura…_ all three clouds of aura were glowing so brightly it was almost blinding. But the more shocking was the space between them, where three tendrils of aura were touching, mixing together into an orangish-tan color.

Blake felt her heart swell, her eyes opening as they watered. This was… so much more than she hoped. It was almost like… well, like they were Mates.

Blake opened her mouth, ready to call out to them and let them know she was awake…

The door knob turned.

Weiss fell back as the door swung open, pushed by her weight, her and Yang's lips separating with a wet _pop!_ A metallic _clang!_ echoed throughout the room and the hallway as Weiss' back hit the hallway floor. She looked up, blushing crimson, to see…

Pyrrha Nikos, clad in her Pjs, four semblance-covered metal serving trays hung suspended in the air above her, one spinning and wobbling where it hovered.

Pyrrha stared down at Weiss in confusion, before taking in the rest of the room.

"Um…" She hummed awkwardly. "Breakfast?"

* * *

 **A/n: Yes, I'm evil. Sorry. I didn't really want to stop, but this one was running** _ **long**_ **. Next chapter shouldn't take too terribly long… maybe… hopefully. I got, like, three other story ideas my muse keeps throwing at me and they all really want to be written. We'll see what happens.**

 **Also, I'm thinking of starting a Tumblr page connected to my Fanfiction writing. Something that I could post some ideas or writing updates on, something like that. Would that interest anyone?**

 **Later!**


	14. Chapter 14: Revealed Kinda

**Chapter 14: Revealed… Kinda**

Pyrrha gave the whole room a quick once over, her green eyes connecting with Blake's for a brief moment. "Am I interrupting..." She looked back down at the crimson faced heiress directly below her. "...something?"

Weiss just looked up at her, wide-eyed and frozen, her usually sharp mind dulled by embarrassment and shock. A seed of dread formed in her stomach as she tried to think of some way, _any way_ , to convince Pyrrha that the situation was not as it appeared.

"We were just helping Weiss out with some… issues."

… _Dust damn you, Yang._

Weiss' head snapped up, somehow managing a look that simultaneously held shock, fear, and absolute fury.

Yang just smiled back, her face the perfect picture of sympathy. "Relax, Snowflake. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Weiss did _not_ relax.

Pyrrha looked between the two, then at Ruby, who was trying very hard not to laugh. "Is everything alright?" The redhead asked hesitantly.

Yang waved her off as she pushed herself to her feet. "It's cool. Just, uh, could you step inside?" She took a step forward, bending slightly as she reached a hand down to Weiss.

The heiress took her hand, and was quickly pulled to her feet. "What are you doing?" She hissed into Yang's ear.

"Uh… sure." Pyrrha said, uncertain as she moved around the two and into the room, the serving trays hovering after her, one still spinning slowly.

"Saving our hides." Yang whispered in answer. She pulled Weiss into the room, closing the door behind them. Speaking louder, she addressed Pyrrha. "Yeah, sorry about that. We were just- hey, Blake! When did you wake up?" Her voice shifted from easygoing to unnaturally chipper upon seeing the Faunus awake.

Blake flinched as all eyes suddenly turned towards her. She flushed at the attention, pulling her covers against her chest. "A couple minutes ago." She answered simply.

Yang blinked. She glanced briefly at Weiss. Then she smirked, and Blake didn't need the Link to sense the mischievousness Yang was feeling.

"Is there somewhere for me to put these?" Pyrrha asked, gesturing to the trays above her head.

"Oh, yeah!" Ruby said, jumping to her feet. "Sorry, kitchen tables this way." She opened the door to the living area, waving for Pyrrha to follow. "Um, sorry for asking, but I figured that Ren would bring these over."

Pyrrha let out a nervous chuckle as she followed Ruby into the next room. "Well, he was going to, but at the moment, he's…"

* * *

"So, why are you making so many pancakes?"

Ren briefly looked away from the stovetop, glancing at the onesie-clad Jaune sitting at the kitchen island next to him. "Evidently, when I make pancakes, Nora has 'First-Dibs Priority." He turned his head all the way around, looking over the mountain of pancakes at the girl _glaring_ at him. "Though this is the first I've heard of it."

The glare intensified.

Jaune sweatdropped. "Oh."

"Indeed." Ren responded simply, flipping a new pancake over.

…

"...Ren?"

"Yes?"

"Can you please make her stop glaring? She hasn't blinked in five minutes."

* * *

"... occupied."

"Ohh…" Ruby droned as she led Pyrrha into the next room.

Once they were out of earshot, Weiss turned to glare at Yang. "Yang, what are you doing?!"

Yang laughed her off as she went to the closet. "Relax, Weiss. I know what I'm doing."

"And what are you doing?" Weiss repeated.

Yang sighed. "Look, Weiss, Pyrrha just caught us liplocked." Weiss turned crimson again, but Yang kept going before she could say anything. "Do you want to tell her the real reason why we were?"

"W-Wha- No!" Weiss spluttered. "Of course not!"

"Then we got to tell her something else." Yang rummaged through the closet, pulling out a pair of bluejeans, before tossing them to the side. "Look, I'll do the talking. If she asks, just leave it to me."

"B-But," Weiss glanced at the open door to the living area as the clatter of silverware drifted through. "You just told her I have issues." Weiss hissed in accusation.

Yang fixed her with a blank look. "Weiss, you _do_ have issues." At Weiss' look of outrage, she continued, looking back in the closet. "I know it, you know it, and yes, Pyrrha knows it too. Heck, everyone at school knows it."

 _Outrage. Fear. Embarrassment. Shame._

Yang stiffened. Her head snapped around, her lavender eyes meeting pained, misty blue. Weiss quickly looked away, crossing her arms with a scowl on her face.

Remorse flooded through Yang. She quickly stepped across the room, grasping Weiss by shoulders. "H-Hey, I didn't mean it like that! I wasn't kidding before; it's nothing to be ashamed about. Everyone has issues, myself included!"

Weiss scoffed, glaring at the blonde from the corner of her eye. "Yeah, right."

Yang grimaced. She looked over at Blake, now sitting on the edge of her bed, but all the Faunus could offer was a look of concern.

Yang gulped. She took a deep breath, turning back to Weiss. "Weiss…"

The heiress refused to meet her gaze.

Yang hung her head, letting her hands leave Weiss shoulders, trailing down her arms. "I'm sorry…" she muttered mournfully.

Weiss blinked, slowly turning to face the blonde. Normally, she'd dismiss the words as an attempt to get back into her favor, but…

 _Sadness. Frustration. Self-loathing_. _Remorse._

Weiss sighed, looking down. "... did you have to say it like that?"

Yang lifted her head. She managed a half-smile. "Sorry. Sometimes my mouth moves before my brain does." She punctuated her words by tapping her knuckled to the side of her head.

Weiss looked down for a moment longer, before looking up through her bangs. "Just sometimes?" She asked, smirking slightly.

Yang blinked, huffing out a laugh. "Yeah, yeah…" she muttered as she pulled away, a full smile on her lips.

Blake watched on with a smile. Though dulled, she could feel the emotions going between the two, helping to fill the gaps in understanding their words left. She felt a warm feeling in her chest, almost like pride.

Weiss glanced back at the open door. _They'll be out here any second_. She looked at Yang nervously. "You know what to tell her?"

Yang nodded. "Yep. Trust me."

"... you're going to embarrass me, aren't you?"

Yang smirked. "Oh, totally. But tell me something: Which would you prefer? Get a little embarrassed, or explain the whole Mates situation to Pyrrha, right here, right now?"

A wave of panic slammed into her from two sides, both from the heiress in front of her, and the Faunus across the room. Yang looked at Blake, and was taken aback by her fear-filled yellow eyes and her cat ears standing straight up on her head.

Yang waved her hands in front of herself in defense. "Hey, hey! I'm not serious! You guys really think I'd do that?"

Blake let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Weiss sighed in relief, before giving a pleading look at Yang. "Please don't make it too bad."

Yang chuckled. "Relax, Snowflake," She leaned in and, to everyone's surprise, kissed Weiss' forehead. She pulled back with a soft smile. "I know what I'm doing."

"What are you doing?"

They all jumped as Ruby stepped back into the room, Pyrrha right behind her. Ruby was giving Yang a questioning look.

Yang just smiled at her. "Nothing, sis. Just making plans for the day." She turned her attention to Pyrrha. "Thanks for bring that over. I hope Ren didn't have to wake you up to do it, though."

"O-Oh, it was no trouble," the gladiator answered awkwardly. "We were getting up early anyway. I'm sorry if I, um…" Her green eyes flicked between Yang and Weiss. "...interrupted… anything."

Weiss' blush returned full force. Yang let out a sigh. "You want to know?" She asked simply.

Green eyes widened as Pyrrha waved her hands in denial. "O-Oh, I don't need to… I didn't mean… I don't need to know." Her cheeks tinted as she stopped stuttering.

Yang gave her a look. "But it's going to bug you not knowing." It wasn't so much a question as a forgone conclusion.

Pyrrha's only response was a rather uncomfortable fidget, glancing between the blonde and the heiress.

Yang huffed. Then she turned to Weiss. "Can I tell her?"

Weiss' first response was to ask (or rather, _demand_ ) 'tell her what!?' Instead, she stared into Yang's eyes, remembering her words.

 _Trust me._

Weiss glanced back at Pyrrha, the redhead looking back in equal parts awkwardness and curiosity. She swallowed, before nodding slightly to Yang.

The blonde gave a reassuring smile, turning her attention back to Pyrrha. "Okay, P, can you keep a secret? Like, even from your team?"

Pyrrha blinked, looking unsure. "I… suppose."

Yang nodded, accepting her answer. "Okay. I'm guessing you've put two and two together on what me and Weiss were doing before you opened the door?"

 _Huh. Didn't know her face could turn the same color as her hair._

Pyrrha cleared her throat, ignoring the heat in her face. "I, um… have an idea."

Yang couldn't help the slight smirk tugging at her lips. "Well, the truth is, Weiss has been having some trouble figuring out her… preference."

The look Weiss sent her was _thunderous_.

 _Trust her, trust her, trust her…,_ she kept repeating in her head, praying that Yang really knew what she was doing and wasn't just screwing with her.

Pyrrha blinked in surprise. "O-Oh! So, you were…"

Yang nodded, half-smiling. "Yeah, just… helping her figure out which team she's on."

To Weiss' surprise, Pyrrha nodded in understanding. Then the redhead frowned. "Isn't it a little early for… that?"

Yang just kept smiling. "Yeah, well, we kinda started talking about before we went to bed, and since we both woke up a bit early…"

Pyrrha nodded again, this time with a smile. "Well, then, I'm very sorry for interrupting you." She then turned her smile on Weiss. "I hope you have luck in figuring yourself out, Weiss."

Weiss, stunned, stuttered, "U-Um… t-thank you, P-Pyrrha." A small smile managed it's way onto her lips.

Pyrrha nodded to her, then to Ruby as she went to the door. She opened it and was halfway out, when she turned back to the room. "Oh, um, Blake?"

Blake, who had been watching the interaction with worry, then relief, gave the gladiator a curious stare, tilting her head.

Pyrrha gave a kind, if nervous smile. "You look very nice without your bow."

She shut the door before anyone could respond.

It took Blake a full three seconds before Pyrrha's parting words sank in. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, her hands clamping over her ears.

Her large, feline, completely impossible to miss ears.

"She, she saw…" Blake started breathing hard and fast, panic building in her chest. "She… she knows… oh, Dust…"

"Blake? Blake!" Yang was instantly at her partner's side, wrapping her arms around the distraught Faunus in gentle yet firm embrace. "Hey, calm down! It's okay."

Blake didn't seem to hear her. "Pyrrha saw my ears. She knows that I'm… I-I didn't even think about…"

Weiss and Ruby quickly moved in front of Blake's bed, completely lost in what to do. The emotions rolling off of Blake we so strong that it almost made the two ill.

 _Panic. Dread. Terror._

Yang held Blake tighter as the emotions washed over her. She felt an ache in her chest, like her heart was trying to pound its way out and get to Blake. A thought popped into her head, and Yang acted on it.

Very gently, Yang rested a hand on the back of Blake's head. Closing her eyes, Yang leaned forward, pressing her forehead against Blake's. She started humming.

Blake's panicked babbling cut off the second Yang lean forward. She stared blankly for a few seconds, before her eyes slid shut, pressing against the blond in kind.

Ruby breathed in sharply when she heard Yang start humming. She recognized the tune; it was one of the songs their mother would sing to them on stormy nights or after a bad dream. The same song Yang sang to her after Summer was… gone.

With a look to Weiss, who was watching the two partners with worry, Ruby bobbed her head towards the two, hoping Weiss got the hint.

She did, and, after a moment's hesitation, Weiss sat down next to Blake. Unsure exactly what to do, Weiss gently put her hand on Blake's thigh, hoping it would comfort her.

Ruby, seeing there was no room on either side of Blake, crawled around Yang onto the bed, and wrapped her arms around Blake's waist, hugging her from behind as she pressed face into the nape of the Faunus' neck.

After a minute or so, Blake's breath slowed back down to normal, though she remained tense. "She knows." She murmured weakly.

Yang rubbed her side gently in comfort. "Blake, it's okay. It's Pyrrha. She won't tell anyone."

Blake took a shuddering breath. "But… but what if…?"

Yang shook her head, keeping their foreheads connected. "No 'what-ifs'. If it worries you that much, we can go talk to Pyrrha and tell her to stay quiet. No need to freak."

Blake stayed still for a minute more. Her eyes opened slowly as she moved her head back, Yang doing the same. Amber eyes still glanced around the room, as if she was expecting some kind of attack. "S-Sorry." She mumbled meekly.

Yang gave her a squeeze. "Hey. Nothing to apologize for." Her usual smile came back in an instant. "She wasn't wrong, though. You're bow is cute and all, but I like your ears more." To confirm her point, she gave both ears a small scratch.

Blake hummed at the feeling. Ruby squeezed her waist, resting her chin on Blake's shoulder. "You okay now, Blake?"

Amber orbs met silver, then concerned blue. She put her hand over the one Weiss had on her on her leg, leaning her head against Ruby's. "I think so. Sorry."

"Ugh." Yang groaned, releasing Blake so they sat shoulder to shoulder. "Enough with the 'sorry's"

Blake looked at her. "Sorry." She said, a small smirk on her face.

Yang elbowed her in the side, getting a chuckle.

Weiss rolled her eyes.

Ruby giggled. Her eyes drifted across the room.

"...Y'know, the pancakes are getting cold."

* * *

 **A/n: Not much to say this time. Next one should be up soon - next week at the latest.**

 **See ya next time!**


	15. Chapter 15: Explanations

**Chapter 15: Explanations**

"Oh, that was good."

Team RWBY sat around the little used kitchen table, a small circle with four chairs around it. Ruby sat across from Yang and Blake across from Weiss. Empty plates and glasses were pushed towards the middle. Yang sat back in her chair, rubbing her full stomach.

"No kidding," Blake agreed, sipping at a glass of milk. "I had no idea you could but apples into a pancake."

"Or blueberries." Weiss added as she started stacking the plates.

"Yeah," said Yang. "Ren may be kinda quiet, but the man knows his way around a flapjack." She breathed in deeply. " _*buuurp*_ "

Weiss deadpanned at her. "Classy."

Yang just smirked and shrugged, making Ruby giggle.

Clattering echoed as Weiss deposited the dirty dishes in the sink. She soon took her seat again resting her hands in her lap.

Awkward silence filled the room, each girl glancing around at nothing in particular.

"So…" Yang broke first. "Are we going to talk about this or what?"

Blake flinched as all eyes soon turned to her. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, before letting out a defeated sigh. "I don't even know where to start."

"Hmm…" Weiss hummed, drawing her team's attention. "How about you start by telling us…" Her composed demeanor crumbled quickly, leaving her with just a tired, pleading look. "Blake… what happened? What… made you do this?"

Blake felt her ears pin back in discomfort, her nerves not helped when Ruby leaned forward in her seat, eager for her answer. The look in Yang's eye made it clear she wanted Blake's reasoning too.

Mustering her courage, Blake tried to answer. "I think… when I went into heat, it left me… vulnerable." She frowned as she tried to find the right words. "When I gave in and just let go… It's hard to describe. It's almost like… I became something else."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Ooo-kay."

Blake huffed in frustration, racking her brain for a better description.

"Is that why you didn't talk?"

All attention went to Ruby, who was looking at Blake, her head tilted to the side. Blake gave a small nod. "Yes, that's why. I suppose the best way to put it is that, once I gave into my heat, I stopped thinking and just… acted on instinct."

"And your instinct was to make us your Mates?" Weiss asked, somewhat sarcastically.

Blake hesitated, before, to everyone's surprise, she nodded. "Actually… yes." At their dumbfounded looks, Blake explained. "I've been thinking. And… I think I've felt this way… about all of you… for a while now."

Yang leaned forward a bit, resting her arms on the table. "You mean… that you love us?"

Emotions suddenly spiked around the table. Surprise from Blake. Unease from Weiss. Warm happiness from Ruby.

Blake looked at them all, her gaze lingering on Weiss for a moment, before answering. "Simply put… yes." She felt a nervous smile creep onto her lips. "I love you… all of you."

Uncertainty ebbed from across the table. "Romanticly, you mean." Weiss asked, fidgeting.

Blake met her eyes as she answered. "Yes, Weiss. I love you."

Weiss squirmed under her gaze, but nodded in acknowledgement.

Seeing Ruby beam at her and Yang smirking slightly, Blake went on. "Like I said, I've felt this way for a while now, but, I think I've been trying to deny it."

Ruby frowned. "Why?"

Blake sighed as she turned. "Ruby, I haven't spent much time considering romance in the last few months. I've always seen the three of you as my friends, but it wasn't until yesterday that I realized that I've started seeing you as… more."

"So… what changed?" Asked Yang.

Blake sighed. "I wish I could remember exactly what happened during my heat… but I think I have an idea. I think that, since I was going off of instinct alone, I just acted without thinking. With no thoughts about consequences and no inhibitions to stop me, it all became… simple. I wanted you three to be my mates, so I acted."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Weiss frowned in confusion and mild anger, while Yang let out a long breath of air. "Still would have been nice if you could have asked, Blakey."

Blake rubbed the back of her neck, her eyes hesitantly meeting Ruby's. After a second, Ruby's eyes widened in realization, before looking sheepish. Blake turned back to Yang. "Actually… I kind of did?"

Weiss' expression morphed to bafflement, which Yang mimicked. "Uh… what?"

"Uh…" Two turned their attention to Ruby, who had raised her arm slightly into the air. The leader smiled awkwardly. "I think I know what she means." When no one said anything, she went on. "Well… after we were all… _done_ … I stayed awake after you two fell asleep. After a little while, Blake gave me this weird look. She pressed her forehead against mine, and, after I pressed back, she smiled and… I think that's when she bit me."

Blue and lavender eyes widened, turning to the Faunus. Blake gave a hesitant nod. "Ruby's right. What I did was the proper way for a Faunus to ask another to be their Mate. And, while I doubt you knew it at the time, Ruby, when she pressed back against me, that's how a Faunus would accept to be their mate."

Yang tilted her head. "That's kind of weird. Why would pressing foreheads be such a big deal?"

Blake huffed, reminding herself that none of her team had even the basic knowledge of Faunus mannerisms. "That's just the tradition. It's like… I guess the closest equivalent I can give is a human getting down on one knee and presenting another with a ring."

Weiss suddenly stiffened, shock and panic rolling off her. "Wait, do you mean, by being Mated, the four of us are… _engaged_?"

Surprise and disbelief came from the sisters, both of whom were staring at Blake in shock. Blake threw up her hands in a panic. "No, No! It's not like that… not really… there's a lot more to it than that!"

Yang squirmed a little in her chair. "We're listening, Blake."

Blake let out a slow breath, both to calm her nerves and collect her thoughts. Unable to meet her teams eyes, she stared at the center of the table. "I guess the best thing to do is explain explain exactly what a Mate's Mark is. When I bit each of you, I gave you a portion of my aura. That aura is the purple spot inside the bite."

Yang blinked. She pulled her shirt collar aside, craning her neck to look at her Mark. "Really? I thought that was just a bruise or something, y'know, like a hickey."

Blake huffed a little. "You're half-right, Yang. There is a bruise there right now, because, well… it _is_ kind of a hickey." Blake tinted in embarrassment, her ears drooping. "But it will heal in a day or so, in which point the Mark will turn black, the same color of my aura."

Weiss nodded, absorbing the information. "Okay… so is that all it is, just a spot of aura on our skin?"

Blake's lips formed a tight line. "No… there's more to it than that. See, a Faunus' Mate's Make changes depending on what stage in the relationship their in."

"Stage?" Ruby asked, head tilting.

Blake nodded to her. "The Marks you all have right now are… I suppose you could call them Stage One Marks. They're meant to be temporary…" When she caught sight of the baffled and stunned looks aimed at her, along with feeling the shock and confusion from her team, she tried to clarify. "What _normally_ happens is that, two Faunus would start a relationship normally, date and spend time together, just like human do. However, once they reached a certain point in their relationship, they would both decide to take the next step: Marking. To give each other a small glimpse of who they really are, with no secrets or illusions between them."

"Uh… a glimpse?" Yang asked with a chuckle. "It's a bit more then that, Blake. I don't know about the rest of you, but… you're all kind of an open book to me now...and, yep, there's the embarrassment." Yang gave sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of her head as Weiss and Ruby looked away from the table, cheeks tinted.

Blake held back the urge to giggle at their actions, though paused when Weiss' emotions suddenly dulled. She gave Weiss a questioning look, which the heiress returned. After a few seconds, her blue eyes widened.

"Sorry…" Weiss mumbled. Blake instantly felt Weiss emotions sharpen back into focus, feeling the apology and slight-shame across the Link. Blake's eyes widened when she realized what just happened.

 _So that's what it feels like when they… shut me out…_ Blake hummed, unsure how to feel about it.

"Uh… what just happened?" Ruby asked, concern on her face as she looked between the two of them.

"Yeah," said Yang. "Why's Weiss feeling down all of a sudden?"

"I'll explain in a minute." Blake assured. "As I was saying, yes, Yang, right now, we're all an open book to each other. However it won't last. Right now, the bit of my aura inside you is sustaining itself. If left alone, it will burn itself out, taking the Mark with it. A Stage One Mark is only meant to last a few days, a week at the absolute most."

Weiss nodded slowly, drinking in the information. "Okay… and what happens after your aura burns itself out?"

Blake breathed in sharply, letting the air out slowly to calm herself. "Well, um… if a Faunus lets the aura burn itself out, it's because, after seeing who their potential mate truly is, they decide they don't want to be mates after all."

Weiss' eyes widened as she realized how her question might have sounded. "W-Well then, um… what would happen if they decide they do… what to be mates, that is?"

Blake fixed her eyes on Weiss, and the three humans were taken aback by the sharp spike of emotion Blake gave off: a strange mix of surprise, hope, and trepidation. Blake quickly looked away, resting her arms on the table and folding her hands, her eyes not straying from them. "If the two Faunus decide that they want to be mates after they… _feel_ each other," Blake answered. "Then they would take the steps to bind themselves to each other, by… altering the Mate's Mark."

"What do you mean by alter?" Weiss asked.

"What do you mean by _bind_?" Yang followed, suddenly looking nervous.

Blake looked between them, unsure who to answer first. After a moment, she figured she try to answer both. "The Faunus would bind themselves to each other by, through physical contact, adding more aura to the Mate's Mark, while their partner flared their aura at the same time. The foreign aura would then mix evenly throughout their mates own aura. The Mate's Mark would reflect this, turning from a simple spot on the skin to an actual design."

"Design? What, like a tattoo or something?" Yang asked.

Blake nodded. "Typically, yes. To the untrained eye, the Mark would look like a tattoo, or a similar form of body art. What it would look like depends on the people making it, however."

"How so?" Weiss asked, her brow furrowed.

"The Mark's design would reflect the people making it, and the bond between them. Their personality, their interests; basically, whatever makes that person who they are, and what makes they mate who they are. It varies from mate to mate, some rather plain while others are intricate. I once a mated couple who's Mate's Mark was shield surrounded by vines and various flowers. Another's was simply a red diamond inside a black square."

"Wait," Yang held up her hand, somewhat surprised. "You've seen other people's Mate's Marks?"

Blake swallowed, her eyes glancing at Weiss briefly before looking back down. "A few… in the White Fang." When no one said anything, she went on. "Faunus tend not to cover their Mate's Marks. They… _we_ ," She corrects herself rather forcefully. "...see it as something to be proud of. That… we managed to find someone to love… and to be loved by."

Silence fell as Blake's words sank in. Ruby smiled at what she'd said, but felt her mouth curl downwards at the sight of the other two. Yang looked unbelievably nervous and uncomfortable, while Weiss… Weiss was just unreadable. Ruby felt Yang's nervousness and awkwardness (a little disturbing seeing how she couldn't remember even _once_ where she'd seen Yang in such a way), but from Weiss… Her emotions were surprisingly neutral, just a bit of nervousness and surprise, but it was squashed down under an overwhelming feeling of… contemplativeness?

Ruby decided to try and break the tension. "So… what does that mean, then? The aura mixing and the Mark changing?"

Blake looked up at her, surprised amber meeting curious silver. "Well, when the Mark becomes… Stage Two, I guess, that's when I'd say it's more similar to human engagement."

Ruby gulped, Yang and Weiss now giving Blake their full attention. _So much for easing tension…_

Seeing their looks, Blake threw back her head, letting out a growl of a groan as she rubbed at her eyes. "Look, I'm _trying_. I'm really trying to explain this, but there _is no_ perfect comparisons. I can think of a few ways that Faunus Mating is _similar_ to human relationships, but I can't…"

A hand on her right shoulder, a hand on her left. Blake's words died in her throat as she looked back at the table, being met with three sets of concerned eyes, worry and regret flooding the room.

"Hey, calm down, kitty-cat." Yang said as she squeezed her shoulder.

"Take your time, Blake." Ruby smiled.

"I've no doubts that this is complicated. I'm sorry for our reactions." Weiss said, leaning over the table towards her.

Blake froze for a moment, before allowing a small smile. As Ruby and Yang pulled back their arms, Blake leaned her head back staring at the ceiling in thought.

"Okay," she said after a few minutes of silence. "I think… I know how to put it… maybe." She pulled her head forward, meeting each of their eyes. "Just… let me get to the end before you say anything, okay."

Ruby, Weiss, and Yang turned each other. Other than some fleeting hesitation from Weiss, the three were resolute. They nodded to each other, then turned and did the same to Blake.

The cat Faunus smiled nervously, then took a deep breath. "I'll try to keep it simple… at least, as simple as I can. Using the previous example, two Faunus dating, with no Mark, is almost exactly the same as two humans dating, just, spending time with one another, learning about each other, growing closer over time. Once they decide to give each other a Mate's Mark… I would compare it to a human giving another a ring, asking for their hand in marriage."

She paused when she felt Yang and Weiss' emotions spike again, this time with apprehension and muted worry. Blake ignored it, opting to press on. "The difference, however, is that, keeping with the comparison, rather than one person giving the other a ring, they would each give a ring to each other. And rather than ask for an answer at that moment, they would each take a few days, think over their feelings and intentions, and then, both give an answer… does that make sense?"

The three nodded slowly. "I… believe so," Weiss said slowly. "Right now, we are at the point of deciding whether we want to go through with this… becoming your Mates… correct?"

Blake positively _beamed_. "Yes. Yes, that's right. Um… Now, this is a bit trickier to explain. Like I said, these Marks are Stage One and temporary. Left alone, they will burn themselves out after a few days. A Faunus could reapply a Stage One Mark before that happens but… in Faunus circles, that can be interpreted as dragging your feet. Think of it like a person being popped the question, and then… hesitating.

"If both Faunus decide that they want to be Mates, then, like I said, the Mark will change to Stage Two." She paused, gathering her thoughts. "Keeping with the human comparisons, a Stage Two Mark is less then being married, but… _more_ then being engaged."

Yang and Weiss were silent, mulling over Blake's words with lingering apprehension. It was Ruby, however, that was confused. "Why would it be more then being engaged?"

Blake let out a slow breath, humming. "I told Weiss this last night, but… You know how people say that our aura is actually our soul?"

Ruby nodded, and Yang looked to her with intrigue. Weiss paid rapt attention, hoping to have some of the things she'd learned the night before clarified.

"Well," Blake continued. "Most, if not all Faunus believe that, myself included. By creating a Stage One Mark, you are essentially giving a part of yourself, a piece of who and what you are, to another person. When the Mark becomes Stage Two, and that piece of aura is absorbed into their Mate, they have, quite literally, merged their souls together. By doing that, they are saying in no uncertain terms, 'I accept this person into myself. They are a part of me and who I am.'"

Stunned silence filled the room, wide eyes staring at Blake. With a gulp, Yang simply said, "That's… heavy.

Blake nodded seriously. "That's why I say it's more then being engaged. When you're engaged, you intend to spend your life with someone. When you're Mated, you become a part of someone."

Everyone was still, letting the information sink in. Yang leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling. She let out a long huff. "Oh, man…"

Ruby stared down at her hands, trying to wrap her head around the concept. _Blake would be a part of me… her soul, inside of me…_

Weiss folded her hands on the table, interlocking her fingers. She stared across the table at Blake, trying to keep a lid on her more volatile feelings. _Not that they all don't know exactly how I feel anyway…_ She thought with a mix of frustration and baffled-humor. "So, what exactly would be the effects of merging our aura like that? What exactly would change from what we're experiencing now?"

Blake thought for a moment, grateful for Weiss' attempted professionalism. "A few things. For one, the emotions you feel from each other will be… sharper, I suppose. It should be easier for you to understand what the others are feeling." A thought struck her, her eyes widening at it. "We might also gain an Affinity."

The other three perked up at her change of tone. "An… affinity?" Weiss asked, confused.

Blake blinked, smiling sheepishly as her cheeks tinted. "Yes, um… I almost forgot… just a moment."

Without another word, Blake got up from the table and walked back to the bedroom, leaving her team staring after her.

With Blake currently gone, Ruby turned to her remaining teammates. "So… what do you guys thing so far?"

Yang let out a long breath through her nose. "Not sure, sis… It doesn't sound too bad so far, but… this is sounding kind of permanent."

Weiss nodded in agreement. "I have a few… okay, several more questions I need her to answer, but so far… I'm not _adverse_ to the idea… I think." Weiss pouted a little, frustrated by her own feelings.

Yang could relate. "Yeah, I need to know one-" She stared hard at Ruby for a long second. "- or two more things before I make a choice one way or the other. But…" The corner of her lip curled up slightly. "I'm getting less freaked out by it."

Ruby grinned when she saw Yang smile, the ball of tension in her stomach loosening just a bit. She went to say something, right when Blake came back in, a stack of books in her arms

"Here it is. Was afraid I lost it for a minute there." She said as she placed the books on the table, setting one in the center.

Everyone leaned over it to read the title, Weiss having to tilt her head to the side to do so. " _Strange Fates of Faunus Mates_?"

Blake nodded. "It's an anthology of oddities and unique experiences different Faunus have had during their time as Mates." She opened the book, leafing through the pages, back and forth, before stopping near its end. "Here it is." She spun the book around for them all to read.

Weiss took the initiative and read the chapter title aloud. "Finding Affinities: From the Mundane to the Magnificent." Her eyes drifted down to the chapter's contents.

 _As one could imagine, the merging of two people's aura, even just the small amount needed to advance a Mate's Mark, can sometimes lead to unusual, and in some cases, rather amazing side effects. These effects, referred to by most as Affinities, share a striking resemblance to the Hunter and Huntress abilities known as Semblance, and are believed to manifest in a similar manner. The exact nature of an Affinity depends on the Mated pair; the nature of their relationship, their individual personalities, and their own inane abilities are just a few factors that can determine what their Affinity would be, or if they could develop one at all._

 _As opposed to Semblances, however, which tend to be combat oriented or manipulative in some way, Affinities tend to be more passive, usually developing as abilities one would use as an addition to everyday life, rather than for specific circumstances. Rare exceptions do exist, in the same way that passive Semblances have been recorded. This chapter contains a chronicle of various Faunus Affinities noted throughout history, from the simple and unassuming, to abilities that would leave even the mightiest of Hunters in awe._

" _Damn…_ " Yang breathed under her breath as she finished reading. Weiss felt herself nod slightly at the sound. _My sentiments exactly._

Ruby wide eyes scanned back over the page, making sure she hadn't misread anything. "So, if we become your Mate's… we could get a second Semblance?" She asked Blake, an excited smile forming on her lips.

Blake smiled back at her, the excitement pouring from the Link almost infectious. "To put it simply Ruby, yes, it's possible that we could develop an Affinity."

"Is it?"

All attention turned towards Weiss, who was frowning at the book in her hands.

"What do you mean, Weiss?" Blake asked.

Weiss looked up from the book, making a note to ask more about this 'Affinities' business later. Something more pressing was at the forefront of her mind at the moment. "There's something I keep noticing with what you've told us, and, again with this book. In everything you've said, it's always, 'the two Faunus.' And, in the book, it refers to 'the Mated Pair.' But… there's four of us… And… you haven't really mentioned anything about us being human yet… How exactly does that work?"

Ruby perked up at the question, curious about who this was suppose to work as well. Yang, who had kept reading further in the book, looked up so fast her neck hurt. Weiss was teetering around a subject that had been bothering her since the entire Mates business had begun.

Blake couldn't help the shudder she felt as Weiss brought up the two things she'd been dreading. Well aware that her emotions were being broadcast, Blake took a calming breath. She locked eyes with Weiss. "Do you want me to start with the human thing or the ' more than two people' thing?"

"Um…" Weiss hesitated, unsure which subject to tackle first. She turned to her human teammates, receiving only a shrug from Ruby and a surprisingly nervous glance from Yang. With a mental sigh of exasperation, Weiss chose the one she was most concerned about. "The multiple people. Is it… _normal_ for Faunus to take more than one Mate?"

The awkwardness Weiss had asked the question with was shared with the Faunus across from her. Blake racked her brain for the best way to explain. "It... depends. Having more than one Mate is uncommon in Vale, but not unheard of. It mostly comes down to personal preference and what type of Faunus you are."

Yang tilted her head. "Why would that matter?"

Blake fidgeted in her seat. "It's not really talked about a lot, at least not by Faunus themselves, but depending on what type of Faunus you are, you tend to share… _similarities_ with your animal equivalent."

"Is that why you like fish so much?" Ruby asked innocently.

One of Blake's ears flicked in irritation. She huffed. "Yes, Ruby, that's why. My likeing fish has less to do with my personal tastes, and is more of a quirk I've inherited from my… cat-side." She paused, disliking the phrasing of her own words. She shook it off. "That can also extend to how you view gaining a Mate. Some types only have one partner at a time, others are perfectly fine having more than one Mate. For a feline Faunus like myself, having more than one Mate isn't really that strange… at least, as far as other Faunus would be concerned."

Weiss nodded, accepting her answer… and her unsaid statement. _I can just imagine how an uninformed human would react to this knowledge… oh…_ Weiss felt her cheeks warm in embarrassed realization.

Yang, however, wasn't satisfied. "Wait a sec. You keep talking about _you_ taking us as Mates. I thought you said yesterday that this whole thing would be equal."

Blake blinked. "Oh! Well, yes it would be. If we all went through with this, then we'd all be equal Mates. For instance, you would be my Mate, but you'd also be Weiss', and vice-versa."

To her surprise, Yang seemed even more uncomfortable with her answer, squirming in her chair. "Okay, in that case, I have a _big_ question that has been bugging me since this whole thing started."

"What is it, Yang?" Blake asked, perplexed.

Yang rubbed the back of her neck anxiously. "Well, if we all became Mates with each other… what exactly does that mean for me and Ruby? 'Cause, I'm open-minded about a lot of things but…" Her eyes briefly flitted towards Ruby, before staring dead into Blake's "No. _Hell_ no."

The moment Blake understood what Yang was insinuating, her face turned a shade of red the likes none had ever seen. She threw her hands up wildly, waving them back and forth as her eyes widened to comical proportions "Wha- No! Nonononono! That's not how… it wouldn't… she… you…. _oh, dear Dust_." She muttered, burying her face in her hands.

Ruby looked between them, confused at both the way they were acting, and sheer embarrassment coming off them. "What are you two…?" Her eyes drifted to Yang, who looked pointedly away from her, face crimson. The pieces suddenly clicked, and her eyes widened. "Oh… _oh!_ Oh, eww! Eww, eww, eww, eww, eww! No! Why?!"

Weiss kept looking between the three of them, her face turning redder and redder as she realized exactly what was being discussed… well, what passed for a discussion when two of the active parties were ignoring everything around them in embarrassment, while the remaining kept yelling negatives while getting more and more flustered.

Ruby eventually ran out of steam, falling into silence as she pressed her forehead against the table's surface, hiding her head under her arms. One didn't need a Mate's Link to feel the awkwardness and embarrassment that filled the room, none of it's occupants able to look at each other.

Yang suddenly cleared her throat, the sound unnaturally loud in the quiet room. "Okay, Blake. Please explain."

"Please…" Ruby pleaded, her silver eyes peeking up at Blake from under her arms.

Blake sat up straight, willing the heat out of her cheeks. "Yes, um… it's not… common, but there are times where siblings or cousins fall in love with the same person. Rare, but not unheard of. In the case where they decide to Mate to the same person, they would form what's known as a 'siblings pact.'"

"And that is?" Yang asked expectedly.

Blake folded her hands on the table, trying to appear calm. "It's rather simple. It's just an agreement between blood relation that they view each other as equals; neither sees the other as inferior, and each respect and care for each other. They also swear to always respect their shared Mate, and never make them feel like they would have to choose between them."

Ruby and Yang shared a look, before looking away, blushing. "That's it?" Yang asked, daring to relax her shoulders a bit. "Nothing… else?"

Blake shook her head. "No, that's it. At most, you two might get a little closer, but only as sisters."

Yang let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Ohh, good. So, how would we make this 'siblings pact' thing?"

"It's not that hard. When- _if_ ," Blake instantly corrected herself, shaking her head a little as she did so. "... we advance the Mark to Stage Two, you two would just flare your aura at the same time, rather than doing it individually like it would be done normally."

Yang nodded back, sitting back in her chair. Her relief was almost palpable. Ruby smiled as she saw, and felt, Yang relax. _She seems a bit more on board. That just leaves…_ Ruby turned to her left.

Weiss's face was still blank, her lips pressed in a tight line. A firce blush was still in place on her face. Nervousness and uncertainty ruled her emotions, sprinkled with curiosity and… excitement? Ruby bit back a giggle. _Maybe Weiss is more on board with this then I thought._

Weiss cleared her throat. "Well, now that that's settled," She eyed Yang and Ruby for a moment, then focusing on Blake. "What about the fact that the three of us are human? How does that affect all of this?"

Blake slumped a little in her seat, the other three taken aback by the amount of disappointment and frustration rolling off of her. She grimaced in thought. "Honestly, Weiss… I have no idea." She ignored their startled looks, instead taking another book from the pile. "I've looked over everything Beacon's library has, I looked all over the internet, but I found almost nothing on Faunus/human Mating. The most I found was this." She flipped through the book, turning it around when she found the proper page. She tapped her pointer finger on a particular paragraph.

The three read through the words, when Yang suddenly shot out of her chair, leaning over the book while bracing both of her arms. "Whoa, wait a sec! ' _Great emotional and mental risk_ '? The hell does that mean?" She slowly looked up from the book, staring at Blake with wide eyes. "Blake, could this… hurt you?"

Ruby's head shot up in shock, Weiss doing the same. Blake finched away from their intense gazes. "It… could." She admitted, bregrudedly. Before any of them could respond, she explained. "The fact that I don't have a Mate's Mark of my own… _limits_ me in the Mating experience. For instance, I can only truly feel your emotions when you let me. If you want, any of you could shut me out, like Weiss did earlier on accident, in which case, whatever I feel from you is… dulled. It's… unpleasant."

Weiss' eyes widened. She looked down out of shame. "I didn't mean to do that…" She mumbled.

Weiss suddenly felt a small nudge. It took her a moment to realize that it hadn't been physical, but mental. A wave of calm and forgiveness washed over her, making her look up. Blake was smiling at her from across the table.

Weiss was taken aback, but slowly felt a smile of her own form. She nodded.

Blake held her smile,, before sighing. "To answer your question… I'm sorry, but there's just not enough information, at least that I can find. I'm starting to think that we might be the first ever group of Mates where the humans outnumber the Faunus."

Yang snorted. "Yeah, that'd just about fit us. Team RWBY, trailblazing once again!"

Blake smirked a bit, which grew when she heard Ruby giggle and saw the corner of Weiss' lips quirk. She continued. "Basically, if we go through with this, I think we'll just have to make it up as we go along."

Another snort. "Sounds like every relationship ever to me, Blake. Except…" Yang trailed off, looking thoughtful and more than a little nervous. She glanced at Weiss, who mirrored her look, knowing what Yang was thinking about.

"What?" Blake asked, a bit apprehensive.

Weiss thought for a moment, then let out a breath. "Blake… if we go through with this and… become your Mates…" She shared a look with Yang, then looked back. "If we advance the Marks… is it permanent?"

Blake's eyes widened in realization. "Oh! Oh, sorry, I meant to mention before, but we got distracted. You see, there's actually three stages to a Mate's Mark. You already have a Stage One, and I've told you about Stage Two. Stage three, however, really doesn't apply to us at the moment."

Weiss frowned. "How so?"

"Because a Stage Three Mark is pretty much the same as a Stage Two, with only one Major difference. Even after merging a little of your Mate's soul with your own, that aura can still be removed absorbed back into its original owner, so long as both Mate's are in agreement on breaking their bond. It's not easy, though. Depending on how the decision came around, it can possibly be a very painful process. But it _can_ be done."

Ruby gulped at the thought, and it seemed Weiss and Yang weren't doing much better. "So then, how is that different from a Stage Three Mark?" Weiss asked hesitantly.

Blake shrugged. "Simple. Stage Three is permanent."

Ruby blinked, while Weiss and Yang gaped at her.

Blake nodded at their disbelief. "Yes, I know. But Stage Three Marks are rare. Faunus only make them when, after years, decades even, they decide that the person they've Mated themselves to is 'the one.' Stage Three is usually to as a Lifemates' Mark, or sometimes, a Soulmate's Mark."

Weiss let out a long breath. "So, it's not something we would have to worry about anytime soon?"

Blake shook her head. "Or at all, really. Most Mate's go their entire lives without forming a Lifemate's Mark, content with what they have." She looked around the table expectedly. "Any other questions?"

Yang thought for a moment, then shrugged. She looked to Weiss, who shook her head.

Seeing no questions from the two, Blake turned to Ruby. "Ruby? You haven't said much. Do you have any questions?"

Ruby stared at her. Her silver eyes looked down at the wood table. She tapped her finger absently on the surface. Then she looked up, silver meeting amber. "Just one."

"What is is?"

"If Mating the three of us limits you, and could hurt you… why do you want to do it?"

Blake blinked at the question. She looked to her right, seeing Weiss and Yang looking at her expectantly. Blake looked down.

She's right. This isn't how Mating is supposed to go normally. This could end very badly… for any of us. But…

She thought back on the previous months. Talking with Ruby, reading with Weiss, bantering with Yang; she thought back to just the other night, her own body turned against her, turning her into the animal she tried so hard to ignore and repress… and there was her team, her friends, with no judgments, no disgust, just concern and compassion. She thought of waking up beside them, the feeling of contentedness she had at having those she cared most for so close.

A soft smile graced her lips as she looked at Ruby. "I guess… I don't really care about that. I love you all. If you loved me back… the rest doesn't really matter."

Ruby positively _beamed._ She turned towards Yang and Weiss, glancing between them.

Yang scratched her shoulder, right above her Mark. She half-smiled, looking nervously at the ceiling. "I guess… we could try..."

Weiss drummed her fingers nervously. "I'm not… against it…"

Blake chuckled lightly at their awkward emotions, drawing their attention. "You don't all have to decide right now. The Marks will last for a few more days. How about we see how the bond affects us in our usual days, and decide from there?"

Weiss perked up a little at her suggestion. "That sounds… acceptable."

Yang nodded. "I could use a little time to get used to this. How long exactly-?"

"Six days." Blake answered automatically. When she received curious stares, she flushed. "My aura will last about seven days. We used up one yesterday, so we have six more, counting today."

Ruby nodded. "Okay. So we take the next week, and see how the Mate's Mark feels while we do our usual things. Sound right?"

There were nods around the table.

Ruby smiled. "Okay then. Let's make it official. Banzai!" She yelled, sticking her fist out to the middle of the table.

Blake blinked in surprise. She saw Weiss and Yang do the same, before a smirk slowly formed on Yang's lips. Weiss rolled her eyes, but a smile formed on her lips nonetheless. Blake smiled with them as their fists met Ruby's at the same time.

"Banzai!"

* * *

 **A/n: Dear Dust I'm tired. Overtime is killing me. But I shall persevere! For you all, for Team RWBY, and for hopefully making it all the way to the end of Volume 3!… god, I have so far to go… I haven't even reached the actual start of the Volume 2 stuff yet… ;_;**

 **Oh, and, sorry Enabler fans. I did warn you back in chapter 4.**

 **Hope you all liked it. If you did, leave me a review to let me know. Now, if you'll excuse me, my bed is calling me…**


	16. Chapter 16: Spark

**Chapter 16: Spark**

 **Unknown Location**

"Aw, screw this!"

Neo simply tilted her head to the side, eyes never leaving her scroll as a coffee mug flew passed her and shattered against the wall. She looked up from her reading, annoyed, then rolled her eyes. From the crate she was sitting on, she had a perfect view of Roman Torchwick standing over his desk, hands flat against its surface, glaring down at his scroll.

"Where the hell are they?" He growled to himself, flicking his finger across the scrolls surface, information flying by much too fast for him to actually read. "I found Little Red and the cat easy enough, so where the hell is monkey boy and laser girl?"

Neo shook her head, going back to reading crossing her legs as she tried to relax.

This had been going on ever since the previous day. Roman had practically thrown a parade when he found the cat Faunus' information among all that Neo had stolen for him, and had immediately copied down everything noteworthy onto a large marker board he had placed behind his desk, even drawing a black stick figure with little triangles on top of its head at the top of the board. He's been equally excited when found the scythe wielder's info, but, strangely, had calmed down after reading for just a few minutes.

Neo had thought it weird. He'd been ranting and raving about his eventual success over the girl, ( _Yes, your great success over a fifteen year old_ , Neo had thought at the time) when he'd just… stopped. The sudden silence had been enough to make Neo look up from her scroll, giving her a peculiar sight. The look on his face as he stared at his scroll had been an odd one, something between shock, disbelief, humor, and...sadness, maybe? He'd mumbled to himself for a while after that, nothing Neo could really make out. Something to do with the girl's parents.

A few minutes later, though, Roman had added the girl's info to the board, complete with a little red stick figure holding a small scythe, and set to work finding out about the other two kids that he'd seen at the docks.

That was at 11:00 p.m. on Friday night.

It was now 9:00 a.m… on Sunday.

Roman had found _nothing_. No record of a blonde headed, nunchuck wielding monkey Faunus, no record of an orange haired girl that shot laser beams.

And it was driving. Him. _Nuts_.

Roman had briefly entertained the idea that Neo had missed something when she stole the information, an assumption that Neo had quickly dismissed with an umbrella upside the head. She knew what she had gotten, just what Roman had asked for: the entire student registry. She'd even taken the faculty records as a bonus. Neo had given him everything he'd asked for. Now she was left sitting around, because Roman had said that the moment he'd found something on all four of them, he'd have a new job for her. Now she was getting frustrated and bored, having spent almost two days stuck in their base, listening two Roman cuss out his scroll.

She did have a pretty good idea of why he couldn't any information on the two missing teens, and a small part of her felt like she should tell him, but…

"Augh! This is getting me nowhere! Stupid, useless, good for nothing- _***THUNK!***_ \- Ow, damn, my foot!"

… this was just too funny.

Roman flopped into his desk chair, cradling his foot after kicking his desk in frustration. He glare angrily at his scroll, before turning up his head, staring at the metal ceiling. He pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing at it slightly. "C'mon, I'm smarter than this," he mumbled to himself. "There has to be some information somewhere…"

 _*this is the way, we want to spend everyday!~*_

Roman stiffened in his chair, his head snapping back to look at his scroll in surprised dread. Neo slowly lifted her head as Roman's scroll continued to blare a little tune that was happy, cheerful, and not-at- _all_ embarrassing for a full grown man to have as his ringtone.

Roman's wide eyes slowly raised from the desk to meet Neo's. She lifted an eyebrow.

Roman pointed at her warningly. " _Not one word._ "

Neo's expression turned unimpressed.

Roman blinked, then groaned, his shoulders slumping. "Oh, you know what I mean!" He snatched his scroll off the desk, looking at the caller ID. "Audio only… aw, man," His tone went from curious to exasperated, an annoyed frown on his lips. He hit the answer button, cutting off the sickeningly sweet song. He quickly put his scroll to his ear, a too-wide smile plastered on his lips. "Hey, Cinder. How's academy life going?"

Neo shut off her scroll, sitting up straight. Cinder calling Roman meant one of three things: She had important information for him, she needed him to do something, or she was mad at him. Whichever it was, the same thing would happen: Roman would tell her to do something about it. Which she would… for a fee, of course.

"Well, yes, as a matter of fact I… what?" Roman's easy going tone quickly turned apprehensive. "Yeah, I sent Neo in to steal some info...wait, lockdown? She caused a lockdown?" He put his hand over the phone, turning to Neo with a look of panicked disbelief. " _You caused a lockdown_?" He hissed at her.

Neo shrugged. She didn't really know. One of the teachers, some fat guy with a monster of a moustache, had seen her as she was leaving Beacon's server room, but she'd vanished before he could stop her.

Hey, Roman told her not to get caught. Didn't say anything about being seen.

Roman glared at her before turning is attention back to the phone. "Uh, sorry 'bout that… you were planning to leave Friday night? Oh… oops…" Roman sweatdropped. "It was for a good reason… well, remember that little fiasco at the docks last month, the one you told me not to have happen again? I figured that, if I had all the info on Beacon's student's, I, and by extension, the rest of our little operation, would be better prepared for if any more of those tots decide to play hero. Pretty smart, right?" Roman's proud expression morphed to one of surprise. "Oh… you… oh…" Roman seemed to deflate in his chair. He suddenly perked up, angry. "As a matter of fact, yes, I _do_ have a plan… kinda… I've already got all the info I need on two of the brats from the docks, I'm just trying to find out about the other two… well, I can't find nothing on them! Neo got the entire school registry, and I can't find anything on them… of course they're students, they're too young to be full fledge Hunters… what?"

Neo watched Roman expression went through a rapid series of emotions at whatever Cinder said. Confusion. Surprise. Realization. His face went blank for a moment, before facepalmed.

"The Festival… right. Yeah… yeah… I'll do that… Yes, I'm taking care of it. Taurus gave me a bunch of what he said was his 'best men,'and they're out getting it right now. They should be calling anytime now… hey, that ain't on me! Taurus said they were his best. If they screw up, that's on them! Okay… whatever… bye."

Roman ended the call, letting his arm fall limp to his side. He pressed his fist to his forehead, eyes screwed up in thought. Then he looked over at Neo, eyes curious. "Did you realize those two are probably from different schools?"

Neo blinked, a small chunk of Roman's one sided conversation making more sense. She smirked, nodding.

Roman's eyes narrowed. "Would you have told me even if you _could_ talk?"

Her smirk grew. She shook her head.

Roman stared at her. "...I hate you."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

Roman groaned, then groaned even louder when his scroll started singing again. He answered it without even looking at the screen. "What!? Oh!" His tone changed instantly, becoming much more calm. "You got it. Well, I guess Taurus was right when he said you guys were his best." Roman got out of his chair, picking up his cane as her did. "Okay, I need you to take it too the warehouse on the south side of the city. We're having a big rally for the White Fang there next Saturday, and…" Roman suddenly trailed off. He turned his head towards marker board. His eyes sparkled as he looked at the two stick figures. A large smile spread over his face, piquing Neo's interest.

"Actually, scratch that. Bring it back to base first, and gather up anyone in the Fang who knows about robotics. I need to make some… _modifications_." He clicked off his scroll. He turned to Neo, still smiling. "Neo… how do you feel about stealing some Atlas tech?"

Neo blinked. Her lips formed a wide smile as her eyes flicked to both be pink. This sounded like fun.

* * *

 **A/n: Wow, two chapters in as many weeks! Been awhile since I pulled that off.**

 **Just a short little chapter to get the plot moving again. Next time, Team RWBY gets a taste of Mated life.**


	17. Chapter 17: Sunday

**Chapter 17: Sunday**

"So… is there anything specific we're suppose to do now?"

Blake glanced at Yang as the two made their way up the sidewalk. The streets of Vale were surprisingly empty for a weekend afternoon, but that might be because of the part of town they were in. The buildings around them were slightly older than what was usually seen in Vale, but seemed to still be in good condition. Splashes of color dotted the brown buildings, a combination of windowsill flowers and the occasional piece of street art.

"Regarding what, exactly?" Blake asked.

"Y'know, with the whole…" Yang glanced around real quick, before leaning in closer to Blake and whispering. "Mates trial run thing."

Blake held in a snort. "'Trial run.' I've never heard it put quite like that before."

Yang gave her an unimpressed look. "Oh, hardy har har. Seriously though, are we supposed to… I don't know, act differently now?"

Blake gave her a wary glance. "I'm not sure what you're asking me, Yang."

Yang let out a frustrated huff. "Look, it's just… are we girlfriends now?"

Blake blinked. "Oh! Well, yes, I suppose."

Yang raised a sceptic eyebrow. "You 'suppose'?

Blake felt her cheeks tint in embarrassment. "Um… I mean… usually when two Faun- people," She quickly corrected herself. "... become Mates, they were in a relationship beforehand. So, since we're in the initial stages right now… yes, we're girlfriends… I mean…" She hesitated, looking nervously at Yang. "If you want to be?"

Yang held her gaze for a moment, eyebrow still raised. She laughed softly. "Well, it would be kind of awkward if we weren't." She shook her head, scratching at her ear. "Ah, jeez…"

Blake swallowed at Yang's emotions. They weren't necessarily negative, but they weren't overly positive either. Mostly confusion, exasperation, disbelief, and a good amount of excitement, all tinged with a feeling Blake was very familiar with: being overwhelmed.

"Yang?" She asked, concerned. "You okay?"

Yang glanced over at her. She closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath. Then she opened them, giving Blake a wry smile. "Yeah, just… trying to wrap my head around all this. Okay, so…" Yang looked over her shoulder, then all around them. Seeing that the street was empty, she continued. "I'm your girlfriend, right?"

Blake nodded, a small smile on her lips. "Yes, and I'm yours."

Yang grinned at that, her always warm chest feeling just a little bit hotter. She focused. "But, Ruby is also your girlfriend. And so is Weiss."

Blake nodded again. "And I'm theirs."

Yang nodded, her brow scrunching in thought. "But Weiss is also my girlfriend… and Ruby's."

"... this is weird, isn't it?"

Yang couldn't help but laugh at Blake's matter-of-fact tone. "Oh, extremely. I just… I've never really kept a girlfriend for very long. I liked them, but… I never felt that _spark_ , y'know? Now I've got _two_ girlfriends at the same time... and I'm sharing them with Ruby…" Yang shook her head in disbelief. "And I really thought my life couldn't get any weirder."

Blake frowned. "Sorry…" She said quietly.

She jumped slightly when she felt Yang's hand on her arm. The blonde gave her a crooked smile. "Hey, weird doesn't mean bad. I'm just trying to figure out how this would work."

Blake relaxed a little, smiling a little when Yang's hand trailed down her arm, interlacing their fingers. "What are you having trouble with?" She asked, hoping to smooth out any potential problems.

Yang squeezed Blake's hand, swinging their arms gently back and forth. "Like… how are dates suppose to work with four people? Like, if we go out to eat or something?"

After a few moments of thinking, Blake answered. "Well, we already go out and have fun as a team already. It would probably be similar, just… we'd be more affectionate?"

Yang hummed. "Maybe… we'll have to figure that one out later." Yang then looked up as they reached the end of the sidewalk. They came to a stop as cars crossed the intersection, waiting for the signal that they could cross. Yang turned to Blake. "So how far is this place again?"

Blake fidgeted under her gaze. "Just up the street… you didn't have to come with me, you know. I can do this by myself."

Yang rolled her eyes, smiling. "Yeah, I know, but I wanted too. Besides, even if we don't decide to to be Mates, I'm still your partner, Blake. I want to know where I need to go if you run out again."

The light changed, and the two girls quickly crossed the street. "I know that…" Blake said hesitantly, looking down. "It's just… I never wanted you guys to see this side of me."

Yang looked back at her, concerned. "What do ya mean, Blake? I thought you were glad we know you're a Faunus?"

"I am!" Blake said quickly, meeting Yang's eyes. "You have no idea how much it means to me that you're all okay with what I am. It's just…" Her cheeks tinted as she looked away. "I didn't want you to know what all comes with being a Faunus."

Yang frowned, giving Blake's hand a squeeze. "Blake, I think we've proved by now that we don't care about that."

Blake squeezed back, her lips tugging upwards a little. "I know… I'm just so use to keeping secrets… it's hard to remember I don't have to anymore." Blake stopped in front of a storefront. "This is the place."

Yang craned her neck up to look over the building. Like most buildings in Vale, it was built to blend in, fitting seamlessly into the rest of the buildings around it. Simple glass windows lined the front wall, various ad posters plastered throughout. Above the door was a large, if plain sign that read: _Grenda's Goods_.

Yang snickered a little at the name. "Just a few letters off from something _really_ funny." She turned her eyes to the door, her eyebrows raising at a sign hung proudly above the door knob: _Faunus Welcome!_

Yang frowned as she followed Blake inside. _They shouldn't have to advertise that. It should just go without saying._ She stayed quiet as she looked around the store. It looked the same as any other drug store she'd ever been in, maybe a little on the small side. Though, as she looked over the shelves at the various products, she saw a lot of brands she didn't recognize. And there was little, if anything with the Schnee logo on it.

"Okay," Blake said as she turned around, drawing Yang's attention. "The pharmacy is in the back of the store. I might need you to sign some things, but until then… I guess just look around."

"Okay. Let me know when you need me." Yang turned her attention to the various shelves around her, looking over the products in more detail.

Blake gave her a nod, before moving away, headed for the back of the store, where the wall was lined with various medicines. A middle-aged woman stood behind the counter, her head down as she lazily read a magazine. A pair of small goat horns stuck out through her curly brown hair.

"Excuse me?" Blake asked. The woman looked up from her reading, green eyes focusing on Blake.

"Need something, sweetie?"

Blake reached the purse she had hanging off of her shoulder. She pulled out the empty orange bottle, placing it on the counter. "I'm here to refill my prescription. I called ahead."

The woman gave a kind smile, folding the corner of the page she was one as she closed her magazine. "Of course, dear." She picked up the bottle, her eyes skimming over the label. She paused, a puzzled look on her face. She looked back at Blake, raising an eyebrow. Her eyes flicked up at her bow.

Blake stiffened at the look, her cheeks tinting. "Um…" She glanced back towards the front of the store. The only other person in the store at the moment was Yang, still slowly making her way up the aisles. Blake turned back, slowly reaching a hand towards her bow.

Much to her relief, the woman waved her off. "No need for that, sweetie. I understand. Just surprised me is all." The woman turned to her side, at an older-style computer terminal sitting on the counter. She typed for a few seconds. "Let's see here… Blake Belladonna, age: 17. Species: Faunus. Subspecies: Cat. Refill for… oh." The woman frowned. "That's odd. It says here that you were suppose to get your refill last month. Is that incorrect?"

Blake shifted uncomfortably, well aware that this issue would arise. "No, that's correct. I… missed my refill last month."

The goat Faunus looked up in surprise. Her cheeks tinted a little. "Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry."

Blake, sporting a much deeper blush, gave her a _very_ awkward smile. "It's fine. I, um… it wasn't much of an issue, luckily."

The woman's eyes widened a little, her head tilting just a bit in confusion. Her gaze suddenly left Blake, staring off over her shoulder. "Ohhh…" She said in comprehension.

Now confused herself, Blake followed her gaze, to see only Yang, the blonde crouching slightly to look at some bottles on the lower shelves of the cosmetics.

Blake's blush increased tenfold as her head snapped forward. The woman behind the counter gave her a knowing look. "A human Mate… how daring." The woman smirked ever so slightly.

Blake just looked at the ground, uncomfortable feelings welling up inside her.

Yang's head suddenly snapped up, her eyes landing on the two of them. She stood up straight, looking ready to walk over to them.

Blake, feeling Yang's worry, started to look back at her, when the woman chuckled lightly. She turned back to find the woman smiling gently at her. "Now, now, I didn't mean nothing by it. I have no more right to judge your taste in Mates than anyone else. I just don't see that very often around here is all."

Blake blinked, before a smile slowly spread on her lips. "It's alright. It, um… it kind of surprised me, too." She ended with a small tint in her cheeks. She turned around to Yang, giving her a reassuring smile. Yang smiled back after a moment, turning her attention back to the shelves

"I'll bet." With a smile, the woman turned around, pulling the proper medicine from the upper shelves. "Freshly Mated, I take it?"

Blake was surprised, unprepared for smalltalk. "Um… yes… just a couple days ago. How did you know?"

The woman snorted as she started counting pills. "Same way any Faunus would. The second I saw her I felt that pressure."

Blake tilted her head in confusion. "Pressure?"

The woman paused mid-count. She gave Blake a curious look. "Yes, you know… that pressure you feel when you look at another Faunus' Mate? Like something is pressing on your shoulders?"

Blake stared at her in confusion, before her eyes widened. She had felt that before, several times in the White Fang! Nothing overpowering, just a slight pressure, an uncomfortable feeling, like she was about to make a bad decision.

"Yes… I've felt that before… I never knew that was what it was, though…"

The woman frowned. "Didn't your parents teach you this?"

Blake stiffened, her lips forming a tight line. She looked away from the woman, her hand grasping her other arm tightly. "I… never knew my parents."

The woman's eyes widened, before her features softened in sympathy. "I'm sorry." She said simply.

Blake nodded. There wasn't much else she could say.

The woman cleared her throat slightly, before explaining. "Well, to put it simply, we Faunus have an innate sense about who is a possible Mate, and who is already taken by another Faunus. When I looked at your friend over there, I felt that pressure, like being interested in her was a bad idea."

Blake nodded, stunned that something so basic about her own species had never been known to her. "And all Faunus can feel this?"

"Uh-huh," The lady hummed as she started counting again. "Good thing, too. Nothing worse than seeing two Faunus fight over a Mate, let me tell you. There are _Grimm_ that do less damage then one of those fights." The woman screwed the lid shut on a new prescription bottle, putting a new label on it. "There you go. That'll be thirty-two lein."

Blake nodded, still trying to process the new information. She pulled out her wallet, counting up the proper amount before giving it to the woman. "Thank you."

The woman smiled. "No problem. Remember, take one a week, and _don't forget_. Need anything else?"

"Um, yes actually. Would it be possible for my partner to be able to pick up my prescription, just in case there's a day when I can't do it myself?"

The woman frowned, glancing over Blake's shoulder at Yang. "Well… that right is usually only given to family, but… as your Mate, she should count. The problem is, she only has an initial Mate's Mark, right?" Blake nodded. "Well, that makes it a little iffy… could I speak to her?"

Surprised, Blake hesitated. "Um… I guess." Blake turned around to call Yang over… and groaned.

Yang currently stood in front of the various hair conditioners, a particular bottle in one hand and a handful of her hair in the other. The bottle she held was a particular brand intended for certain dog-type Faunus'. In big bold letters it advertised: **For breeds with thick and unruly hair. Give yourself a healthy shine!**

Yang looked between the bottle and her hair. Blake could practically see the gears turning in her head.

She facepalmed. "Yang!"

Yang jumped, fumbling with the bottle as she tried not to drop it. She looked to Blake, who simply gave her a withering stare. Yang let out a sheepish laugh, letting her hair fall down to her back, putting the bottle back on the shelf. "Uh… sorry?"

Blake just shook her head in exasperation, ignoring the goat-Faunus sniggering behind her. "Can you come here for a second?"

"Oh! Sure." Yang walked up, looking between Blake and the woman. "What's up?"

The woman looked her in the eyes. "This young lady asked if you could pick up her prescriptions for her. Are you aware we usually only let family members do this?"

Yang, recognizing that this was going to be a serious discussion, wiped the smile from her face, replacing it with a more neutral expression. She nodded politely. "Yes ma'am, I figured as much. But since I'm her partner, I was hoping we could figure something out."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "By partner, I assume you mean 'Academy partners', right?" Both girls nodded. The woman hummed to herself. "Well, we have a policy that let's partners assist with each other's medical needs." She reached under the counter, searching. "Let's see here… sorry, I really meant to clean this out a while back, just a moment… ah, here we go." She pulled out medical form, placing it on the counter. "I just need you both to fill this out for me." She pulled a pen out from behind her ear, handing it too Yang.

Yang grinned. "Perfect! Okay, name… address…" Yang mumbled to herself as she filled in her information, handing it to Blake when she was done.

Once it was filled, the woman looked it over, nodding. "That should do. Next time, if you have to come in, just show your school ID and we should be good."

Blake smiled at her, putting her filled prescription in her purse. "Thank you, ma'am."

The woman waved her off. "No problem, dear. Just remember, _every week_. Got it?"

Blake pinked a bit. "Got it. C'mon, Yang."

"Lead the way, Blake." Yang followed Blake out of the store, nodding politely to the goat-Faunus as they left. Once they were back on the street, she turned to Blake. "So, any other plans for today?"

Blake shrugged. "Not really. We could go back to Beacon and see if Weiss and Ruby have any-"

She paused mid-word as emotions not her own washed over her, faint but noticeable.

From one source, frustration, exasperation, endearment.

From the other, sheepishness, embarrassment, and an underlying sense of excitement.

Blake blinked, an action Yang mirrored. They looked at each other.

"Blake? What were Ruby and Weiss doing when we left?"

"Weiss was helping Ruby with her Dust Studies homework, if I remember correctly."

…

"...yeah, I'm not getting in the middle of that."

Blake couldn't help but agree. Interrupting Weiss during one of her and Ruby's study sessions was a perfect way to turn a frustrating experience into an outright bad one.

Still, the fact that, as annoyed Weiss was at the moment, she was also feeling endearment… Blake smiled at the thought.

Yang let out a huff. "Well, great. Now what do we do?"

Blake thought for a moment. An idea popped into her head. "Well…" She paused when Yang's eyes met her, suddenly feeling… shy. "There's a café nearby that I like to go to. Maybe we could go have lunch… just the two of us?"

Yang blinked, and after a moment, her lips turned in a sly grin. "Why, Miss Belladonna! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you just asked me out on a date!"

Blake couldn't help but grin at Yang's teasing tone. "Maybe I did."

Yang's smirk faded to a soft smile. With a sudden movement, she linked her arm with Blake's. "Well then… lead the way."

The two continued down the street, each reveling in the warm feelings coming off the other.

Neither noticed the set of red eyes watching them from the rooftops.

* * *

 **Back at Beacon:**

Smoke billowed out of the dorm window. A scent of ozone and burnt wood filled the air.

Weiss stood in the middle of the room with her arms crossed, tapping her foot on the ground. Ruby stood across from her, staring at the ground, looking to all the world like a scolded child.

"...Ruby?" Weiss voice was surprisingly calm. Almost disturbingly so.

"... yeah…?" Ruby responded, hesitantly.

"The assignment was to create a concussive burst of air using only a combination of two types of Dust. The book even said that the best combination for that was ice and fire, correct?"

"... yeah…?"

"So why did you use _**earth**_ and _**lightning**_?"

"Well… earth is more solid than ice… and lighting is hotter than fire… I just figured that if I used them instead… I'd get a bigger boom?"

Weiss leveled a glare at her. Then her eyes panned to the smoldering, twisted remains of what used to be her desk. She covered her face with her hand. "Well… I can't deny that you achieved _that…_ "

"... so… I passed the assignment?"

" _No, you did not!_ "

"Aww…"

* * *

 **A/n: Yeah, not much happened in this one. The next few chapters should, I repeat SHOULD, come out a bit quicker. I think their going to be small interactions across each of the days of the week (as in, each day WITHIN THE STORY, not each day this coming week. Sorry). I really want to get the ball rolling, because, with all I have planned, once I get to the Volume 2 stuff, I think I can start pumping these out with a lot more consistency. Like, a chapter every week, consistency. Fingers crossed!**


	18. Chapter 18: Monday

**Chapter 18: Monday**

"So we charged the beast, using nothing but a rusty kitchen knife and a sack of potatoes…"

Wiess, with commendable effort, listened to every word of Professor Port's long, _long_ 'lecture'. Most of the class had either tuned out or dozed off about fifteen minutes ago, something that Weiss, even as strict and proper as she was, could not blame them for. There was no doubt that Professor Port was an intelligent man, with decades of experience under his belt. Any knowledge he could share with younger generations was invaluable, sure to help them in the future, perhaps even save their lives!

… if only his method of teaching wasn't so unbelievably, unabashedly _boring_!

Still, Weiss pressed on. She was one of the few in class, possibly the whole school, that had figured out how Professor Port worked. If you listened long enough, underneath all of that pointless ego-boosting-

"...with a mighty blow to the back of the beast's skull, Reginald stunned it long enough for me to plunge my borrowed rusted blade into the small of its back, right into it's heart!"

-there is actually something to learn.

Weiss quickly, but elegantly, wrote in her notebook; _Creep heart located in the lower abdomen, close to the skin of it's back; susceptible to blunt attacks to the back of the head._

Weiss smiled as she set her pen down. She half-listened to the rest of Port's story, but experience had taught her that any more useful information he might have would not be revealed for another five to seven minutes. Instead, she took the time to look around the room, seeing how many people were still conscious.

 _Let's see… Nora, out like a light… Pyrrha doesn't look that far behind her… how is Ren sleeping with his eyes open? Meditating, probably… huh, Jaune is actually taking notes… not very good ones, but still, he's making the effort… ugh, Ruby… she better not drool all over the new notebook I gave her… Yeah, Blake's lost all interest… Yang, you cannot possibly be as into these vainglorious stories as your acting like._

True enough, while everyone seated around her were either sleeping or just ignoring Port's lecture (a few even had the audacity to be playing on their scrolls under their desks), Yang sat there in the front row, seemingly hanging onto every word. One could even describe her as starry-eyed.

Weiss rolled her eyes. _Sometimes I wonder just what goes on in her head…_

…

Weiss blinked.

 _Right… the Link…_

Weiss hesitated. Aside from that first time in the courtyard, she hadn't used the Link herself yet. She'd caught brief glimpses without meaning to, like the other morning while Ruby and Yang were talking, but that was by accident. Plus there was that nagging feeling in the back of her head, like using the Link was some kind of taboo.

Weiss frowned. She knew exactly where that feeling came from, or rather, _who_ it came from.

* * *

 _ **Weiss, you're nothing like him. I know it.**_

* * *

Weiss sighed. She straightened in her chair, determined. Blake was right. She was more than her father's daughter. She was not a repository for her father's thoughts and views, nor an obedient little follower who just regurgitated his words and actions. She was her own person.

And if she wanted to use the Link with her… girlfriend… she would.

She paused. _It's still weird to think of Yang as my girlfriend… along with Ruby… and Blake… so weird…_

 _Not unpleasant, though… but still weird._

Weiss shook her head. She was getting off topic. She spared a glance at Professor Port, who was still blustering on about his great(ly exaggerated) feats in hunting Grimm. She focused back on Yang, who still seemed to be hanging onto his every word.

Weiss took a deep breath. Steeling herself, she closed her eyes.

Back in the void. No form, no substance, just three glowing masses of aura, not counting her own. Ruby's red aura was dimmed, a phenomena Weiss attributed to her being asleep. She noticed the violet shoud around Blake's black aura flickered, likely because she was starting to lose the fight against her own emminent slumber. Weiss ignored them, stretching out a thin line of white aura towards the brightly glowing yellow. She made contact.

 _Excitement. Awe. Disbelief. Enjoyment._

Weiss' eyes snapped open as she stared at Yang in bewilderment, who didn't seem to notice her brief intrusion. It… wasn't an act. She honestly was enjoying Port's long winded tales.

Weiss shook her head in disbelief, a bemused smile on her lips. She made a mental note to ask Yang about it later, as well as check what Yang's grade was in the class.

Weiss picked up her pen, ready for when Port said his next bit of actually useful information, when…

…

 _...he's staring at me again._

Weiss just barely refrained from audibly growling in frustration. She was briefly reminded of a talk she and her… girlfriends… had back at their dorm earlier that morning.

* * *

"What do you mean, _all the Faunus will know!?_ "

Blake flinched back, her cat ears pinning down against her head at Weiss' shrill shrike. The heiress was staring at her with a mix of anger and shock. Ruby stared at her as well, more in surprise then anger, while Yang sat passively on Blake's bed, putting on her boots.

Blake hesitantly tried to elaborate. "It's an ability all Faunus have. We can sense whether or not a person is Mated to another Faunus."

"'All Faunus?!'" Weiss shrieked, eyes wild. "You didn't think to tell us this before?"

"Well, I didn't know before!" Blake defended.

"You-what do you mean you didn't know before? How could you not know!?"

"Because no one taught me!"

Weiss' mouth opened to yell back, but her voice caught in her throat. She stared at Blake in surprise, which was mirrored by Ruby. Yang looked up from her boots, eyes going between the two.

Blake stiffened where she stood, realizing what she just said. When the silence stretched on, she looked away from Weiss, towards the ground. With a sigh, she explained. "Most Faunus are told about this by their parents. And… I never knew mine."

Weiss eyes widened, realizing the sheer enormity of what Blake was revealing to them. "But… surely someone would have…"

Blake shook her head. "By the time I was old enough that someone would have, the White Fang was just starting to shift from peaceful protesters to… well… what they are now. Everything was changing and… I never got 'The Talk,' which, for a Faunus, would have included this. I just kind of… pieced things together myself over the years." She laughed softly, though with little humor. "I guess I missed a few things."

Weiss stared at her, her eyes softening. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. When she opened them, there was acceptance in them. "Okay… then, explain it to me, Blake. How would the Faunus in school know that we're all… semi-Mated?"

Blake felt her lips quirk at Weiss awkward attempt to classify what they were going through. She ignored it as she explained. "As I understand it, it's something we're born with; a safety mechanism. We just… _know_ if someone we see, human or Faunus, is already Mated to someone."

Weiss nodded slowly, processing the information. "Okay… _how_ do you know? Do you get some type of feeling or something?"

Blake nodded. "Something like that. It's like… have you ever had an idea, and, once you start thinking about it, you get this feeling of… apprehension? Like you just _know_ something bad is going to happen?" Weiss nodded, Ruby and Yang doing so as well. "Well, it's similar to that. Looking back, I've felt it a few times. Like, this tightness in my shoulders. It's not uncomfortable, but it's noticeable."

"Hmm…" Weiss hummed, thinking. "So… every Faunus, in school and out, will know we're… dating." Weiss fidgeted where she stood. "Even though our Marks are temporary at the moment?"

Blake nodded again, a little sheepishly. "Yeah. Actually… because their temporary, the feeling will be more noticeable than it normally would be."

Weiss blinked. Ruby tilted her head in confusion, while Yang just finished lacing up her boots.

For a moment, Weiss looked like she was going to start berating again, but instead she just sighed tiredly. "Of course it will be. Why, exactly?"

Blake, feeling a little embarrassed, awkwardly tried to explain. "Typically, what we're doing is considered a time of transition, seeing if we like being Mates or not. Because of that, the feeling our Mate's Marks are giving off is stronger than usual, to dissuade other Faunus from interfering."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "'Interfering' how?"

"I think I get it." All attention turned to Yang as she stood up from the bed. She glanced at Weiss, then met Blake's eyes. "Basically, our Marks are telling all the other Faunus, 'our situation is complicated enough. Please don't hit on us.' That about right?"

Blake huffed a little at her wording. "A bit simplified, but, basically, yes."

"So… that's it then?" Their attention was drawn back to Weiss, who was staring out the window with a blank face. "Everyone will just… know?"

Ruby looked between her teammates, a little confused, before settling on Weiss. "Is that a bad thing? Did you want to keep us being Mates a secret?"

Weiss met her eyes, blue orbs panning from grey, to lavender, then ending on amber. She spoke softly. "I… I don't know if I'm comfortable with everyone knowing what we're doing. I just thought we could keep it private… until we figured everything out."

The others frowned, both at Weiss' words and the feelings she was giving off. Nervousness, worry, hesitation, and… fear. Ruby and Yang were confused about that last one. The others they understood; to say the sisters had no worries of their own would be an outright lie. But fear, especially the sheer amount Weiss was feeling at the moment? They didn't get it…

But Blake did. After their conversation the other night, Blake had a very good idea what, or rather, _who_ , made Weiss so scared of her being in a Faunus-human relationship being made public.

It took a lot of effort to stop the sudden burst of anger growing in Blake's chest so that her team wouldn't notice it. She could be angry latter. Right now, calming Weiss was more important.

"We might still be able to do that." She said confidently, drawing her teammates attention.

"Uh… how?" Yang asked. She chuckled lightly. "Kinda hard to keep this under wraps when we basically have a neon sign over our heads saying 'Taken!'"

Blake nodded. "Yes, but we do have one thing going for us. Only Faunus will be able to sense our Marks. And I doubt any of them will say anything."

Weiss stared into her eyes, a spark of hope forming in her. "What makes you say that?"

Blake shrugged. "Respect, mostly. What we're doing right now… it's… _special_. It's not something you're supposed to do lightly. Most Faunus will recognize that and should leave us be. It wouldn't be proper if they did."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "So, all of Faunuskind work on the honor system?" She sounded less than impressed.

Blake gave a groan of a sigh. "More like their instincts will tell them to leave us alone, in the same way they'll sense our Marks in the first place."

Weiss, while still apprehensive, felt a little better. She still felt way in over her head with how little she knew about the situation she'd had thrust upon her, but… she trusted Blake. If Blake said everything should be fine, then she would believe her.

Yang hummed. "Maybe, but I don't know. Instincts or not, there's always that one guy who just does what he wants. Just saying."

* * *

 _I hate when Yang is right._

Frustrated, Weiss spun her head around to the desk directly behind her, glaring at the source of her ire.

Blake had been right, for the most part. From breakfast in the cafeteria to walking the halls, Weiss had noticed no fewer than a dozen different Faunus staring at her at one point or another. Yet, no one said a word. Whenever Weiss had met their wide eyes, their response was either to continue on indifferent, or to give her a brief nod before moving on. There was even a female mouse Faunus who smiled at her, blushing. As the day wore on, Weiss slowly became more and more at ease with the brief curious stares she got, and started thinking that she had worried over nothing.

Then came Grimm Studies.

Out of the thirty-one other students with her in class, nine were Faunus, not counting Blake. Of those nine's initial reaction, four had ignored her, three had nodded to her, one was the aforementioned smiling mouse Faunus…

And the last just kept _staring_.

Weiss took in his features. Rather tall, a bit bulky. Small grey eyes, a shade much darker than Ruby's. A small sideways scar ran across his chin, reaching toward his left ear. He had short, thick brown hair, topped with two rounded furry ears. Bear ears, if she had to guess.

Weiss didn't know him, outside of seeing him wield some type of claymore/bazooka weapon during the occasional combat class.

She hadn't said two words to the guy since the year started. She couldn't even recall his name. And as far as she could remember, he had completely ignored her since school started.

But now, it was like his eyes were glued to the back of her head. Since entering class, she had caught him staring at her six times, and each time it took longer and longer for him to look away.

Now he had grown bolder. When Weiss narrowed her eyes at him, he didn't just stare back; he _sneered_ , his nose flaring as his lips pulled up in a mocking grin.

Outrage flooded her. She had a good idea why she had drawn his attention this day, but that just made her angrier. What was his problem? What gave him the right to judge her, for any reason? What business was it of his?

Weiss scowled up at the bear Faunus. His lips just pulled up wider, showing off his sharpened teeth. He opened his mouth to say something…

… when a crumpled ball of paper bounced off his head.

The bear Faunus blinked, with Weiss doing the same. The Faunus stared at the wad of paper now sitting on his desk, then scowled at a point past Weiss, lower on the rows of desks.

Weiss followed his gaze, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Yang glaring upwards towards them. Her lips were set in a tight line, which Weiss recognized as her attempting to control her temper. With a blink, her lavender eyes briefly glowed red.

The bear Faunus flinched, but the screwed his face into an angry sneer. Again, he seemed about to speak, when he flinched back again, almost violently, his eyes wide. Weiss was confused, until she looked at the seat just behind and to the right of Yang.

Blake was staring up at the bear Faunus, her face expressionless. She showed no emotion. She just stared, her eyes locking with his.

Her deep, amber, _slitted_ eyes.

Weiss didn't know how, but she somehow just _knew_ that there was some unspoken conversation going on between the two Faunus. After a few moments, the bear Faunus broke his gaze, ignoring everything around him as he scowled at his desk.

Weiss breathed a sigh of relief. She stiffened when she suddenly felt a mass of emotions wash over her; concern, worry, remorse… She turned back towards the front desks.

Her eyes met with Blake's, the Faunus' now rounded eyes looking to her in concern. A quick glance showed Yang, eyes back to lavender, giving her a similar worried expression. Even Ruby was looking up at her, frowning in confusion as she blinked the sleepiness out of her eyes.

Weiss was stunned for a moment, before she felt a warm tingle in her chest. She smiled down at them, giving them a little wave. _I'm okay._

The sisters seemed to get the messege, Yang ginning back with a nod as she turned her attention back to Professor Port (who was so engrossed giving visual aid to his stories, in the form of chalk and blackboard, that he hadn't noticed the staredown happening just behind him). Ruby smiled, before promptly putting her head back on her desk, likely to return to dreamland.

Blake held her gaze though, a soft frown on her lips, her expression apologetic.

Weiss felt a twinge in her chest. _Blake, really, I'm fine. Thank you._ Weiss hoped that Blake could feel the thankfulness and contentedness she was feeling right now.

After a moment, Blake smiled back, before turning back to Port's lecture.

Weiss did the same. As she listened to Port's blustering, however, she slowly started to think about what had just happened. About how her friends… her girlfriends… had defended her, without even speaking a word.

Weiss felt the smile that was plastered on her lips, and couldn't bring herself to wipe it away. Despite her misgivings about the Mates situation, she couldn't deny: having that kind of emotional and physical support? It was a very nice feeling. One she didn't want to go away.

* * *

 **A/n: Two days down, four to go. FYI, I'm feeling very proud of myself. I have no less then the next ten chapters already planned out. I just need to sit my $$ down and get them written. See you all as soon as I do that!**


	19. Chapter 19: Tuesday

**A/n: Keep in mind, this is Team RWBY at the start of Volume 2, before they could all wipe out dozens of Grimm with just a few swings of a blade.**

 **Also, in doing research for this chapter, I found out that the different parts of a scythe have really weird names. Kinda cool, though.**

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Tuesday**

"Everyone line up! We have a busy class ahead of ourselves!"

Students scrambled to form a proper line in the center of the Training Hall. Professor Goodwitch stood before them, scrutinizing the mixed class of upper and lower classmen.

Close to the center of the line, Ruby stood with her team. She glanced to her left, briefly making eye contact with Weiss. Even without the Link, both partners could each tell that the other was nervous. Ruby reached behind her, rubbing her hand along the the edge of the compacted Crescent Rose. Weiss looked down at Myrtenaster, double checking that all it's Dust cylinders were filled.

Blake looked at them from the corner of her eye, trying not to frown. Truth be told, she was a little worried as well. This was their first combat practice since being Marked, and much as it pained her to admit it, she had no idea how that would affect them, or herself. She had tried to remember seeing Mated Faunus fight in the White Fang, only to curse herself as she realized how little she'd paid attention to that kind of thing in the past, if she even noticed it at all. And as usual, any reading she had done on the subject had been infuriatingly vague, with mentions of how Mates 'compliment' each other in battle, or 'move as one'. That could mean anything!

Something bumped her shoulder. Blake turned her head, meeting with Yang's eyes. The blonde simply smiled, and a feeling of relaxation washed over her.

This was quickly becoming a regular thing with Yang. Most of the previous day, anytime Ruby, Blake, or Weiss started to stress, Yang would send a wave of calm out to whoever she felt needed it. When Ruby was struggling during a pop quiz, or when Weiss had panicked over getting a B on her latest history assignment (there had been a tinge of annoyance with that wave of emotion, as Yang had sent it while staring at the D she'd received); even earlier that morning when Blake had had to explain just how little she knew about how combat played into being Mates. Yang was right there, reminding them all to take a breath.

Blake smiled back, some of the tension in her shoulders leaving. She looked back at Weiss and Ruby, seeing Ruby take a deep breath as she stopped fidgeting where she stood. Weiss glanced out the corner of her eye, the corner of her lips twitching up briefly, before she schooled her expression, facing forward.

Blake and Yang shared their own look, both smiling as Yang rolled her eyes. They too focused on Goodwitch as class got underway.

"Okay, students," Goodwitch began as she slowly paced up and down the line. "Today we will be focusing on fighting while outnumbered. While I know most of you have little trouble when fighting Grimm one-on-one, you will not always have that luxury. Beowolves, Creeps, and Ursas are just a few of many types of Grimm that will use their numbers against you. And as much as we stress teamwork and cooperation, there is always the chance that you will be forced into a situation where you will be on your own against numerous Grimm.

"Now, my original plan was have single students battle against a group of training bots. However, as we have unexpectedly reached a shortage of our usual training bots…" Her eyes narrowed as her gaze lingered on Weiss. The heiress looked down, a red dusting in her cheeks. "... instead, I'm going to experiment a little. Today, all team leaders will be separated from their teams."

There was a brief murmur of surprise from the students, with Ruby glancing nervously towards her girlfriends. Goodwitch continued. "The team leaders will be competing in a one-on-three match against the remaining members of a randomly selected team." More murmurs, a little louder, with a few squeaks of complaint mixed in. Goodwitch pushed on before they could get any steam. "I want to stress that today's goal in _not_ for a victory for the team leaders. Your goal for today is simply to survive. Try to get a handle on fighting outnumbered, and learn from any mistakes you make.

"However, just because I don't expect you to win is _not_ an excuse to not try. For the remaining team members, your goal is keep consistent teamwork without your team leader to lead you. While a Hunter should always defer to the one delegated to lead them, they must not become dependent on being told what to do. Prove that your teams can function properly when separated from your commander."

Ruby gulped. She had been outnumbered against Grimm before, and she'd always come out on top… well, most of the time. But against other students? She'd either fought them one-on-one or in a group with her team.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to find Weiss staring at her, her stern expression conflicting with the softness of her eyes.

"You can do this, Ruby." She said confidently.

Behind her, Yang pumped her fist. "Yeah, you got this, Little Sis! Show'em what you're made of!" Blake nodded at her words, cementing her support as well.

Ruby blinked, then smiled widely. _Yeah, I can do this!_

* * *

A little ways down the line, Jaune let out a groan. "I am so dead."

Pyrrha frowned at his words. "Give yourself more credit, Jaune. You're getting a lot better."

Jaune couldn't help the disbelieving laugh that escaped his lips. "Well, yeah, a little on the one-on-one fights. But against a whole team? I'm gonna get creamed."

"Well of course you are with that attitude." Nora pipped in chipperly.

Ren nodded in agreement. "If you think you'll lose, you've already lost."

Jaune threw up his hands. "Then I'm doubly screwed!"

Ren let out a sigh as his borrowed phrase sailed right over Juane's head, Nora rolling her eyes even as she smiled. Pyrrha let out sigh of empathy, trying to remember if she'd restocked their dorm on bandages.

* * *

A sharp smacking sound echoed throughout the room as Goodwitch hit her crop to her palm. "Quiet down!" She pulled out her scroll, glancing at it. "First match: Nickolas Howler vs. Team WNDD."

So began a series of the most one sided fights any of the class had witnessed. Out of the first three matches, only one team leader managed to eliminate another student before being eliminated themself. No matter how experienced or talented the leader was, once they had blades and bullets coming at them from three different directions from equally skilled opponents, everything went out the window.

Ruby watched from the gallery as her fellow leaders got utterly trounced, her earlier confidence lowering further and further with each defeat. She felt another burst of calm wash over her from Yang, but it didn't help much. As the last team leader limped back to her team, cradling her numbed arm via an electric dust charged mace, Goodwitch called out the next fight.

"Ruby Rose vs Team CRDL."

Ruby groaned. "Aw, man…" She muttered as she made her way down to the hall floor, dreading the fight to come.

Team CRDL was everything Ruby had been afraid of when she first came to Beacon: A group of bullies who picked on anyone they can seemingly just because they could. They were especially mean to Faunus, for reasons Ruby just could not fathom.

"Make it hurt, Rubes!"

Ruby glanced behind her. Yang still had her hands cupped around her mouth, a rather mean smile on her lips as she looked at the three members of team CRDL moving to the center of the room.

Though they stayed silent, Blake and Weiss shared similar thoughts to their blonde counterpart. Blake narrowed her eyes at said team, while Weiss gave them a troubled look.

"Ms. Xiao-Long…" Goodwitch warned as she looked at Yang.

Yang gave a sheepish chuckle, rubbing the back of her head. "Sorry."

Ruby smiled at them, relaxing a little. _I got this, I got this, I got this_. She took her place on her side of the hall, standing across from the three bullies. She quickly went through what she knew about them.

 _Russel Thrush. Wields two daggers and is quick on his feet._

 _Dove Bronzewing. Shortsword, very strong, but deceptively fast._

 _Sky Lark. Wields a halberd, but is kinda clumsy._

 _All three are fast and can pull off acrobatic moves._

Ruby made a mental note to thank Weiss for going over what happened during combat practice. Ruby had mostly just done it so she could learn about the different kinds of weapons other students had, but now she was glad she had an idea of how they fought.

Or at least, she hoped she did.

Ruby's eyes flicked between each boy as they drew their weapons, each one smirking at her. Even Russel, the smallest of the three, towered a full foot over her, and Ruby got the feeling that the size difference was going to their heads. Ruby swallowed down her nerves.

 _Okay, they're underestimating me… maybe I can use that?_

She started to reach behind her for her weapon, only to pause. A wave of emotion washed over her again, only this time, she could feel it coming from all three members of her team. Confidence, relaxation, reassurance…

Ruby closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She let it out slowly. Then she opened her eyes. She smiled.

In a quick motion, she reached behind her. With a click and a wave of her arm, Crescent Rose unfolded, towering over Ruby in all her terrifying beauty. Ruby got into her fighting stance.

Team CRDL did the same, though Ruby noticed the wary look they gave the curved blade of Crescent. Her smile widened.

Professor Goodwitch looked between the two sides. When she had deemed them both ready, she called out. "Match set. Begin!"

Team CRDL rushed forward, Russel and Dove breaking off to the sides, while Lark charged straight for Ruby, his halberd held above his head. He brought the ax down, forcing Ruby to block with Crescent's snaith, a dull thud echoing as metal hit metal. Out the corner of her eyes, Ruby saw Russell and Dove moving to flank her. She shifted her weight slightly, letting Lark push her down slightly, until Crescent's heel was pointed towards Dove.

Ruby hit the trigger, firing off a round that hit Dove in the shoulder. Ruby used the recoil of the shot to slice to the right, forcing Lark to duck and Russell to dive to the side. Russell rolled as he hit the ground, then sprung forward, both daggers aimed at Ruby's chest. Ruby leaped back, hitting Crescent's transformation switch. She aimed at Russell and fired, again causing him to dodge, then shot at Lark, who stumbled out of the way.

Ruby took that as her cue to go on the offensive. With another click, Crescent went back to her scythe form, and Ruby charged at Lark. She swung at him, one, two, three times, each one being blocked by his halberd. She went for a fourth, feeling his guard about to break-

 _...huh?_

 _ **A flash of yellow, white, and black. Panic.**_

 _ **Something… behind her?**_

 _ **Duck**_.

Ruby flinched down, Dove's sword passing right through where her head used to be.

With a quick flick of her wrists, Ruby turned Crescent Rose sideways. She pulled the trigger. The bullet slammed harmlessly into the ground, but the recoil sent the bottom of Crescent's snaith right into Dove's jaw. Ruby followed up with a wide slash, catching Dove across the chest as he stumbled back. He grunted in pain as he backed up, but Ruby didn't give him the chance. With the momentum of her swing, Ruby spun all the way around, Crescent Rose transforming as she did. She landed in a kneel, taking aim, and pulled the trigger.

The gunshot echoed throughout the hall as the round hit the stunned Dove dead center in his chest. The force of the shot at such close range lifted him off his feet, sending him sailing across the hall. He slammed into the wall, sliding down it with a groan.

For a moment, the hall was silent. Everyone stared in shock, either at the downed Dove or at Ruby, who blinked in apparent confusion. She looked at Dove, he eyes trailing to this dropped shortsword.

 _What… just hap-_

 _ **A flash of white.**_

 _ **Jump.**_

Ruby's eyes widened. She instantly leaped out of her kneel, backflipping over Russell he charged passed where she'd been. She landed on her feet just as he started to turn around. She rushed forward, slamming the butt of Crescent's rifle mode into the back of his head. He fell to his knees, and with a another spin and transformation, Ruby sliced him across the back, earning yell of pain and surprise. He crumpled to the ground, dropping his daggers as he tried to reach his injured back.

Ruby looked down at him for a moment, before realizing she still had one opponent left. She turned around quickly, scythe at the ready, only to find Lark staring at her from across the hall, his mouth hanging open as looked at his downed teammates. When her eyes met his, he flinched in surprise, before scowling, crouching into a battle position, ready for her to charge.

But Ruby had a different idea.

With a flick of her wrist, Crescent Rose shifted back into a sniper rifle. Quick as she could, Ruby swapped out the magazine for a different one hanging from her belt, and took aim.

Lark dived out of the way as the shot whizzed past his head. But just as his foot was about to hit the ground-

 _KEEEEEEWWwwww…_

The ground under him turned to ice.

Lark slipped as his full weight hit the floor. He fell to the ground, and before he could move…

 _KEEEWWW, KEEEWWW, KEEEWWWwwww…_

Three rapid fire shots hit him in the side, ice covering him with each shot, until he was frozen to the ground. Only his head and left arm remained uncovered. Lark grit his teeth, both at the cold and the pain in his side, as he struggled to move. His arm flailed uselessly towards his halberd, which had fallen just out of reach. After a few moments though, he realized that he wasn't budging, and slumped in his icy prison.

Ruby slowly pulled Crescent Rose away from her eye, mist curling from her frost covered barrel. Ruby suddenly realized she was breathing hard, and tried to calm down, even as her heart hammered away.

She quickly became aware of the silence. She looked up at the gallery, eyes landing on her team. Blake stared at her in absolute shock, her amber eyes wide. Weiss mirrored her, her mouth slightly open in shock. Actually, everyone was looking at her like that.

Except Yang. Yang grinning like a fool, looking at her like she was about to start cheering any second.

Ruby slowly looked around the hall, as if taking in in for the first time. Dove lay against the wall, groaning. Russell was curled up on the ground, desperately grasping at the large gash across his back. Lark was still trapped in the ice, starting to shiver from the cold.

It took a moment for the thought to really kick in.

 _I… won…?_

The clicking of high-heels drew her attention from the carnage she'd wrought. She turned to find Professor Goodwitch approaching her, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Well, this is a surprise," The teacher said once she reached Ruby. She looked down at her scroll, replaying the battle. "Impressive speed and agility. Seamless skill switching between weapon modes. Quick, if unconventional means of attack. You left yourself open to attack twice, but compensated with your reflexes." She looked up, giving Ruby a rare small smile. "Congratulations, Miss Rose. You've impressed me."

Ruby blushed under the unexpected praise. "Um… thank you, ma'am." She said with a nod.

Goodwitch nodded back, before motioning for Ruby to return to the gallery. Putting Crescent Rose into her compact mode, Ruby made her way up in a daze, being startled out of it when two strong hands clapped onto her shoulders.

Yang was positively beaming. "Rubes, that was _amazing_! A thought they had you for a second there, but you slipped out from under them like it was nothing!"

Ruby blinked at her. She felt her cheeks redden as she rubbed the back of her head, a bashful smile on her lips. "Thanks, Yang, but… I don't think it was all me."

Yang tilted her head in confusion, pulling away from Ruby. "What do ya mean, sis? You were running solo out there."

Weiss and Blake had come up next to them, interested and confused by Ruby's words. They barely heard Goodwitch call out the next match.

"Jaune Arc vs. Team CFVY."

"Oh, come on!"

As Jaune dejectedly made his way to the hall floor, Ruby tried to explain. "It's just… did you guys notice anything strange when I was fighting?"

The three thought for a moment, Yang scratching her head in thought, while Blake simply hummed. Weiss crossed her arms, cupping her chin with one hand. "Actually…" She started, drawing the others attention. Weiss looked into Ruby's eyes. "When you were focusing on Lark, Dove was in your blind spot. I was sure he was going to hit you."

Blake nodded in agreement. "I thought the same thing."

Yang chuckled. "Yeah, close call on that one, Ruby. Scared me for a second."

Ruby looked between them, her eyes meeting each of theirs, then looked down in thought. "So… all three of you saw him coming at me... and were worried?" She frowned as she mulled the info over.

Blakes eyes narrowed a little, her head tilting slightly. "What is it, Ruby?"

Ruby looked up, looking at her team. She glanced around, making sure that no one was listening in. All eyes were instead turned towards the fight down below. ("Aww, will you stop with the kicking!?")

Ruby lowered her voice as she spoke. "Something happened when I was fighting, when Dove tried to hit me."

"What?" Yang asked, frowning. "Seemed pretty clear to me. He tried to hit you, you ducked."

Ruby shook her head. "That's the thing, Yang. I didn't know Dove was there until _after_ I ducked."

Each of them blinked. "What do you mean, Ruby?" Weiss asked. "How is that even possible?"

Blake inhaled sharply, drawing their attention. She looked at Ruby, wide-eyed. "Did… did you _feel_ something, Ruby?" She asked hesitantly. Yang and Weiss stiffened, understanding her unspoken question. _Did the Mark do something?_

Ruby nodded. "When I was attacking Lark, there was this... _flash._ " She struggled to put her thoughts into words. "Not… like I _saw_ a flash, but like it had just happened… like a memory, only it happened at the same time I remembered it."

"That… makes no sense." Yang pointed out, quite unhelpfully.

Ruby slumped where she stood. "Yeah, I know, but that's the only way I can explain it! Like… an instant memory, or something."

"What was it?" Blake asked, a bit more forcefully than she intended. She collected herself, then asked more calmly. "Did you see something in this flash?"

"Well-" Ruby was cut off when a loud clang echoed throughout the hall, followed by a yelp and a thud.

The four looked over to see Jaune sprawled on the ground, holding his nose. His shield lay right in front of him, while the members of team CFVY looked at him in equal parts amusement (Fox and Yatsuhashi) and sympathy (Velvet).

Goodwitch raised an eyebrow, more bemused than scolding. "Your speed and endurance are improving, Mr. Arc. However, you are still lacking in terms of your reflexes and your agility. I will grant you credit in attempting to add more offensive moves to your repertoire, however," She leveled a hard stare at him. "I would suggest you find ways of doing so other than _throwing_ your means of defence?"

Jaune sighed as he picked up his shield and pushed himself to his feet. "Yes, ma'am." He walked off grumbling. "Man, I thought I had it that time!"

Ruby watched him walk back to his spot as Professor Goodwitch called out the next fight. ("Coco Adel vs Team JNPR.") before turning back to the conversation at hand, her team doing so as well. "I saw… colors. Yellow, white, and black, all at the same time. And then I just… felt this urge to duck."

Weiss' brow scrunched in thought. "Yellow, white…" Her eyes widened in realization. "Those are the colors of our auras."

Yang's face went slack in shock. "Wait, so… Ruby read our minds? Is that even possible?"

Blake struggled for an answer, but Ruby spoke first. "I don't think it was your thoughts… there were no words or anything. I just… when that flash happened, I just knew I had to duck." She shrugged her shoulders helplessly, unable to be any clearer.

Blake thought for a moment, ignoring the whirling of a gatling gun and Nora's high-pitched laughter. She gave Ruby a long look. "Was that the only time you had this flash, Ruby?"

Ruby shook her head, much to the others surprise. "I felt it again, after I knocked out Dove. Except, that time, the flash was just white."

Weiss stiffened. "When Russell tried to stab you in the back."

Blake looked at her. "I didn't see that. I was looking at Dove, and didn't see Ruby jump. She was mid-flip when I looked back at her."

Yang raised her hand up a little in agreement. "Same."

Weiss' calculating gaze trailed over them, before turning back to the leader. "Ruby," She asked slowly. "You could have dodged to the side, or ducked again. Why did you do a backflip?"

Ruby blinked at her, then looked down in thought. "I… don't really know. I just felt like I needed to. Why do you ask?"

Weiss' lips tightened. "Because when I realized you needed to dodge, I thought of you doing a backflip."

They all fell silent as they let Weiss' words sink in. From the hall floor, Goodwitch called the match in JNPR's favor, getting a cheer from Nora.

"Okay…" Yang said quietly. "So we know Ruby needs to duck, and she ducks. Weiss knows she needs to jump, so she jumps."

Blake nodded. "We need to figure this out. My reading said that Mates 'compliment' each other in battle. Maybe that means that we can send each other ideas, or… instincts, maybe?"

Weiss shook her head in disbelief. "Just when I thought things were making sense."

A sudden giggle sounded, drawing the older girls' attention. Then looked down at Ruby, who was biting her lip, fighting a smile.

"What's so funny, sis?"

Ruby blushed a little. "Nothing, just… even though I was fighting by myself, you three still managed to watch out for me. Doesn't that kinda go against the point of Ms. Goodwitch's lesson?"

The three blinked. Then Yang let out a snort. "Yeah, it kinda does. Whoops!"

Blake fought a smile as Weiss rolled her eyes. Then the heiress huffed. "Speaking of which, we should really be paying attention."

Blake nodded. "You're right. We can work out what happened latter. We still have a match to fight."

Yang groaned. "Great. This is going to bug me, though. I hope it's a quick fight."

"Cardin Winchester vs. Team RWBY."

The four girl's heads snapped up at Goodwitch's voice. They all turned their heads towards said bully. As if feeling their gazes, Cardin turned to face them, a smug sneer already in place…

Only to lose it immediately when he caught sight of the excited grin on Yang's lips, and the glare he was receiving from Blake.

"On the other hand…"

* * *

 **A/n: Does anyone else automatically think of Crescent Rose with female pronouns, or is that just me. No? It's just me? Alright then.**

 **I was going to write out an actual Cardin vs WBY fight, but… there's only so many ways to write: "Cardin gets the ever-loving s*** kicked out of him." Don't worry. Said event will happen in a future chapter. Oh, the plans I have…**

 **See ya next time!**


	20. Chapter 20: Wednesday

**A/n: Prepare thyself for feels.**

 **Chapter 20: Wednesday**

"Come on, Yang, stop going so slow!"

"I'm not going slow, Rubes! You keep super-speeding off!"

"Well… sorry!"

Ruby and Yang ran through the halls, each with a look of worry on their faces. Ruby's form blurred briefly, her semblance blasting her forward a few feet, before she forced herself to stop, glancing impatiently back at Yang. Yang ignored the look, instead running as fast as she could, doing her best not to run into any of the other students milling about.

It had been a good day before this point. No pop-quizes, no bad marks. The most exciting thing that had happened was during Dust Studies, when Ruby somehow managed to cause a fiery explosion using nothing but ice dust. All-in-all, a regular, if rather boring day.

As Team RWBY had retreated to their dorm as the sun started to lower in the sky, Ruby and Yang had volunteered to run down to the cafeteria and get dinner for them all. When they left, Weiss had been going over her class notes at her desk, while Blake had curled up on her bed with a new book, both already changed into their sleep clothes.

Thirty minutes later, Ruby and Yang had been walking back up to their dorm, arms loaded with takeout boxes, just chatting about whatever popped into their heads. They had just started talking about ways to get Weiss to open up a little more (Yang suggested taking her to a nightclub, making her dance with one of them), when they both felt a sharp jolt across the Link from said heiress.

 _Surprise. Trepidation. Worry._

Ruby and Yang had looked at each other, silently asking each other the same question. _What's wrong now?_

Then something burst across the Link, this time from Blake. The sisters flinched as they felt it.

 _Confusion. Realization. Denial. Panic. Fear._

 _So much fear._

Before either could really process what they'd felt, both of their scrolls sounded that they's received a text message. A quick look revealed the same message sent to both of them:

 **W- Get back here, NOW**

Now Ruby and Yang were making a mad scramble to reach their dorm, Ruby having to use every ounce of restraint not to leave Yang behind in a cloud of rose petals. While Yang appreciated the thought, the fact that Blake's distressed emotions had increased in the last few minutes almost made her wish that Ruby would leave her behind, if only so that Ruby could get a head start on fixing whatever had happened.

The only comfort both sisters had was that there was no anger between their girlfriends. Blake was consumed with fear and sorrow, while Weiss was flooded with confusion and worry. Something was upsetting them both, but thankfully it didn't seem to be because of any bad blood.

Didn't make them worry and less, though.

When they finally burst into their dorm, Yang practically broke down the door by accident. Weiss had paused mid-pace to look at them, her arms crossed as she chewed on her thumbnail.

"What… happened…?" Yang gasped out, bent over as she panted from the run. From the corner of her eye she saw Ruby slide in the room behind her, not even winded. She fought down her petty frustration. _Freaking speed-demon. Running never tires her out._

Weiss gave them a worried look, before her eyes on a different door in the room. "Blake locked herself in the bathroom again."

Yang looked at her incredulously, as Ruby loudly voiced the thought in both of their heads. "Why!?"

Weiss hesitated, and the sisters didn't need the Link to know what she was feeling: guilt. She let out a long breath, and tried to explain. "After you left..."

* * *

 **Twenty Minutes Earlier**

 _The Warrior collapsed, her will as broken as her blades. The scent of smoke and ash overtook her as she clutched at her side, deep red spilling through her fingers. The clicking of talons drew closer, the beast's deep, rumbling growl sounding almost like laughter, mocking her._

 _The Warrior lifted her head, her vision starting to blur. She watched helplessly as the beast reared back its head…_

…

Blake's gaze flicked away from the page.

Blue eyes instantly widened, turning back to the papers in front of them.

Blake let out a sigh. That was the third time today that she'd caught Weiss staring at her, though Blake had actually lost track of how many times she'd done so in the last few days. And it was always at the same times of day, mornings and at night.

The only times she took off her bow.

"Weiss?"

Weiss' shoulders stiffened, before she slowly turned her head to face Blake. "Yes?" She questioned, feigning innocence.

Blake smirked a little. "I can feel your curiosity from here, Weiss. Something wrong?"

Weiss' cheeks pinked at having been called out. "N-No, nothing's wrong. I just…" Her eyes were drawn up to Blake's fluffy cat ears, before snapping back to Blake's eyes.

Blake frowned. She took a moment to check the Link between them.

 _Curiosity. Trepidation. A small bit of Shame._

After a short moment, Blake smiled. _I think I get it._ "Do you want to ask me something, Weiss?"

Weiss held her gaze, then let out a huff. "I'm sorry."

Blake tilted her head a bit. "About what?"

Weiss turned away from her, keeping her head down. "I… I was just wondering about a few things, about… Faunus… but… I don't want to offend you by accident."

Blake was silent. She had thought that was what was concerning Weiss. And considering her previous views and words on Faunus, Blake could understand why Weiss would be hesitant to ask anything.

A soft smile crossed her lips. She her book aside and got off her bed. She quietly made her way to Weiss' side, putting a hand on the heiress' shoulder. Weiss jumped at the contact, looking up at Blake in surprise.

Blake smiled at her. "Weiss, would you ask me anything intending to offend me?"

Weiss started in surprise. "What? No! Of course not!" She denied indignantly.

Blake's grin widened. "Then I promise, I'll be okay with your questions. You can ask me anything."

Weiss' eyes widened, her mouth opening slightly. She quickly snapped it shut, swallowing. "Anything?" She asked hesitantly.

Blake nodded. "Anything."

"... isn't it weird having four ears?"

…

Blake blinked. Twice. "Ex-Excuse me?"

Weiss' face turned a brilliant shade of scarlet as she realized what she'd just blurted out. "I-I… well, you see, I mean that…" She stumbled over her words in a vain attempt to salvage her dignity. "It's just, you have the two cat ears, but you also have two human ears, and I don't really get how... that… Never mind!" Weiss gave up, her head snapping back towards her desk as her cheeks burned.

Blake just stared at her for a moment. Then she snorted. She tried to hold it in, but quickly broke down giggling, holding a hand over her mouth as she did so. When she caught sight of Weiss' pout, she tried to calm down. "Sorr… Sorry, I just… I've never been asked that before," She finally managed, her shoulders shaking in pent up laughter. "Well, um… to answer your question… isn't it odd only having two?"

Weiss turned back to her, staring dumbly. "What?"

Blake reached up and gently grasped the tips of her cat ears. "I didn't just wake up with these one day, Weiss." For emphasis, she wiggled them side to side, then let them go, allowing them to stand back up like normal. "I've had them since I was born, so I don't really have any other frame of reference to go off of."

"Oh…" Weiss said softly. Her eyes turned downward. "I'm sorry. It was a stupid question."

Soft fingers cupped her chin, lifting her head. "Hey," Blake said gently once their eyes met. "I said I'd answer any questions you had. And it wasn't stupid. Do you have any more?"

Weiss paused, staring into Blake's eyes. No judgment, no anger… an unconscious sweep with the Link showed the same results.

"... a few." She answered shyly.

Blake smiled. She bobbed her head to her and Yang's side of the room. "Want to sit together while you ask?"

After a moment's hesitation, Weiss slowly nodded. She went to the Faunus' bed, taking her place on Blake's left. She sat cross-legged, while Blake let her legs hang over the beds edge.

"Well, Weiss," Blake started. "Ask away."

Weiss' eyes were still wary. "And I can ask anything?"

Blake nodded with a smile. "Anything at all."

Weiss took a moment to relax, assured that Blake was okay with her questions. "Are there any other differences you have with a human… physically. I mean?"

Blake hummed, thinking. "Well… you know about my ears and my night-vision. Aside from that… I can do this with my nails." She lifted her arm towards Weiss. She flexed the muscles in her hand, and her nails extended a full inch.

Weiss flinched in surprise, then focused on Blake's hand with awe. "They're retractable?"

Blake nodded. "Yep. Though, I don't have much reason to do so anymore." She finished, a bit of sadness tinging her words.

Confused, Weiss took a closer look at Blake's nails. _They look normal… wait..._ Her eyes widened in realization. "They're dull."

Blake gave a hum of confirmation. "I've been filling them down since I started here." At Weiss questioning gaze, she gave a small half-smile. "Dead giveaway. Not much point in wearing the bow if I walk around with cat's claws." She relaxed her hand, and her nails slid back into place. "Apart from that, my spine's more flexible than a human's, which makes me more flexible overall. Also, I don't know for sure, but I _think_ my tongue has the same texture as cat's."

"It does."

Blake blinked. She slowly turned towards Weiss, whose blush had renewed after the words tumbled out of her mouth. "...how do you know that?"

Weiss gulped awkwardly. "I just… do." She squeaked out, not meeting Blake's eyes.

After a moment, Blake sported her on blush, the realization of how Weiss knew that suddenly coming to mind. She cleared her throat to dispel the awkwardness. "Anything else?"

As Weiss' blush slowly faded, she pointed to Blake's ears. "The hair on your ears. Is it the same as the rest of your hair, or is it…?" She trailed off, unsure how to finish phrasing.

Blake, however, understood what she was trying to ask. "It's fur." She saw the way Weiss' eyes lingered on her ears, and let out a sigh. She bent her head forward, lowering it. "Go ahead."

Weiss was startled by the sudden action. Her hand started to raise, before she pulled back. "You… are you sure?" She asked hesitantly.

Blake smirked, chuckling slightly. "Yes, Weiss. I can tell you're curious." One of her ears flicked, almost tauntingly.

Weiss huffed a little at her joking attitude, but raised her hand nonetheless. Tentatively, she placed her hand on Blake's head, her fingers rubbing against her ears. "They're so soft…" She murmured in wonder, feeling the thin appendages twitch as she moved her fingers.

Blake let out a sigh, her eyes sliding closed. "That feels nice…"

Weiss' brow raised at Blake's quiet mutters. Remembering what Ruby had done that fateful night, she bent her fingers, her manicured nails running the length of Blake's ears. She felt Blake shudder under her ministrations, and within seconds, she felt, as well as heard, Blake's deep rumbling fill the room. She smiled as she saw Blake practically melt under her touch.

She kept this up for a couple minutes, before more thoughts from that night came to her mind. "Blake?"

"Yes?" Weiss stifled a giggle as Blake spoke. Her purrs gave her voice a strange vibration when she talked, not helped by the slow, absent way she spoke.

Still, it seemed Blake was still listening, even while enjoying herself as she was. "When you were in heat, you said something about 'the way you wanted to act?' 'Little whims?' What did you mean by that?"

Blake stopped purring, one amber eye sliding open. "Just… certain things I've felt like doing that I know a normal human wouldn't do."

Weiss tilted her head to the side. "Such as?"

Blake opened both eyes, giving Weiss a long look. She reached up, removing Weiss hand from her head. Then, slowly, she started to lay down.

Weiss stiffened as Blake put her head in her lap, raising her arms in surprise. Then Blake reached up, grasped Weiss' hand, and put it back on top her head.

The heiress stared dumbly for a few seconds, before nervously resuming her scratching. In no time, Blake resumed her purring.

Weiss felt the corner of her mouth quirk upwards. "You could have just asked." She whispered.

Blake's only response was to curl up at Weiss' side, pressing her forehead against Weiss' stomach.

A giggle escaped Weiss lips at the sheer absurdity of her situation. She was, for all intents and purposes, _petting_ Blake, her girlfriend, that she shared with two other girls she had similar feelings for, while said girl purred in her lap.

It was so bizarre that it almost wrapped around to seeming normal.

Almost.

Weiss felt a slight pressure in the back of her mind, almost a tickling sensation. Recognizing the feeling, Weiss closed her eyes, letting Blake's emotions wash over her.

 _Happiness. Calm. Contentedness_.

A warm smile spread across Weiss' lips. She opened her eyes, her gaze falling on the contented look on Blake's face.

Blake shifted a bit, rolling a little more on her back. Her sleep robe fell a little with the motion, hanging off her shoulder.

Weiss blushed as more of Blake's peach colored skin was revealed. Then… she noticed something…

Weiss blinked. _Is that…?_ She craned her neck, careful not to jostle the purring Faunus in her lap. Blue eyes widened. _It is! But… how…? Was that there before?_

Weiss opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. She wanted to ask, but she had a feeling that the answer would be… personal. And… she was a little afraid of the answer. Still, Blake did say anything…

She steeled herself, preparing for whatever might come. "Blake?"

"Hmm?" Blake hummed, completely lost as Weiss kept up her scratching.

"Where did you get that scar?"

"What scar?" She asked airily.

"The one on your shoulder." Weiss hesitated, then whispered. "It looks kind of like… teeth marks."

Blake's eyes snapped open, her face paling. Her head snapped to Weiss' face, her eyes wide.

In a flash, Blake was on her feet, backing away from Weiss. Her hand clapped over her left shoulder. She gasped as she ran her fingers over a certain spot.

"No." She gasped out, barely more than a whisper.

Weiss slowly made her way to her feet, standing at the beds edge. She kept her arms down and in front of her, her palms open. "Blake?" She asked, worriedly.

Blake took a step back, shaking her head. "No… no, no…" She kept muttering. To Weiss worry, her eyes started to glisten. "It… it healed, it…" She took a shuddering breath as she ran her over her shoulder again. "It was gone…"

Weiss took a small step forward, kicking herself for whatever she'd just set off. "Blake, it's okay. I'm sorry I…" She stopped when she saw Blake's eyes glance towards the left. Weiss followed her gaze…

The hallway door.

Weiss' eyes widened, dread forming in her stomach. "Blake… don't." Amber eyes flicked back to Weiss, then back to the door. Weiss swallowed. "Blake… Blake, look at me." Blake took another step back, but her gaze met Weiss'. "Blake… I'm sorry…" Blake looked back at the door, and Weiss felt a twinge in her chest. "Please don't run." She pleaded, just above a whisper.

Blake flinched, her wide eyes fixed on Weiss.

A heartbeat.

Two.

Blake blurred out of existence, and the door slammed.

The bathroom door.

Weiss stared dumbly at the place Blake used to be. Then she practically dived at her scroll, typing frantically.

* * *

"She's been in there since I texted you."

Ruby and Yang stared at her, the takeout boxes left forgotten on Weiss' desk. Worry was etched on their faces, both glancing at the door.

"So… Blake has a Mark?" Ruby questioned.

"I think so, but… it looked different from ours." Weiss pulled the collar of her nightgown aside, revealing her Mark. The ring of teeth marks showed out against her pale skin, a blurry spot of black in the center. Looking at it, Weiss explained. "The teeth marks seemed… bigger than ours… and there was no aura in the center of it."

Yang crossed her arms, thinking. "So… maybe it's an old Mark? From an old relationship?"

Ruby turned to her, taken aback. "Like… Blake mated someone before us?" There was a small waver in her voice, sounding a little hurt.

Yang shrugged at her. "Makes sense. I had a few girlfriends before I met her and Weiss. She had a life before she met us. Maybe she had someone special in her life when she was in the White Fang?"

Weiss frowned at the thought, like she did whenever the Fang were mentioned. "But then, why would she react the way she did?"

Yang shrugged again. "Bad breakup? Although… " She looked at the ceiling in thought. "I don't remember seeing it before. Do you?"

Weiss voiced a negative, while Ruby shook her head.

Yang hummed. "Weird..."

They quickly fell silent as the three thought over the situation.

"So what do we do now?" Ruby asked finally.

"Easy," Yang said, drawing their attention. "We talk to her."

Weiss started at her bluntness. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I know she's upset, but she didn't seem like she wanted to talk."

Yang frowned at her. "You might be right, but… I can't be the only one feeling this right now."

Weiss and Ruby shared a look, before looking down. Yes, they knew exactly what Yang was feeling. The entire time they'd been talking, Blake's emotions had been drifting at the back of their minds, never ending.

 _Confusion. Despair. Fear. Shame. Pain._

Each of them felt a deep pressure in their chests, like something was squeezing their hearts.

Ruby lifted her head at the same time Weiss did. Their eyes met, and they held each other's gaze. Then they turned to Yang, and nodded.

Yang nodded back, then turned to bathroom door. They all moved as one, until Yang stood in front of it, Ruby and Weiss at her sides. Yang took a quick, deep breath. She knocked.

"Blake? Can you please come out?"

There was no answer, verbally, at least. A short, quick spike of surprise let them know that Blake had heard her. Yang tried again.

"C'mon, Blake, please talk to us."

Nothing.

Yang looked at Weiss, who could only return her worried expression. Yang sighed, and took a risk. "Blake, we know you have a Mark."

No missing her reaction this time. Shock, denial, and then overwhelming fear.

Yang grimaced. "Blake, it's okay. We're not mad, just… surprised. Please, talk to us."

All three of them flinched as they felt something different from their girlfriend. _Denial_.

"Blake, it's true!" Ruby piped up, pressing her palm against the door. "We're just curious, that's all!"

"Blake, I'm so sorry. Please, just explain it to us." Weiss was practically begging.

They received no answer, save a rather forceful feeling on denial.

Frustrated, Yang banged her head against the door. She felt the familiar tingle in her eyes, not angry at anyone in particular, just situation they found themselves in. She closed her eyes, and took a calming breath. Once the tingling feeling went away, she spoke softly through the door. "C'mon, kitty cat. We're an open book. You tell us: Are we mad at you?"

Silence. Yang let out a sigh. Looking helplessly at Ruby and Weiss, who could only stare back in worry.

 _Click!_

Yang jerked back at the sound off the door lock. Slowly, the door swung open.

Yang felt her heart wrench.

Blake stood in the doorway, her ears folded back in submission as she stared at the ground. She kept a hand clamped over her left shoulder, while the other gripped the doorknob. Her entire body was slumped in defeat. She slowly lifted her head, her pained yellow eyes meeting Yang's. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

"Oh, Blakey." Yang breathed, and quickly pulled the girl into a hug. Blake didn't move, save for tucking her head into Yang's neck and squeezing her eyes shut.

It took only a split-second before Ruby rested her hand on the small of Blake's back, pressing close to her. Weiss reached out and gripped Blake's free hand, adding her support.

They stood there for a minute as Yang let Blake cry into her chest, feeling the smaller girl's shoulders shake. From the corner of her eye, she caught Weiss' stare. The heiress bobbed her head towards the closest bunk, her own, and Yang nodded in understanding. Carefully, Yang lead Blake to the bed, easing them down to sit. Ruby took her place at the end of the bed, sitting cross-legged, while Weiss sat down on Blake's other side, still holding her hand. They sat in silence, waiting for Blake to say something.

"I'm sorry…"

Her voice was so soft they almost didn't hear it. Ruby scooted closer, coming side-by-side with Weiss. "About what?"

Blake kept her eyes closed, her face still pressed against Yang's chest. She took a shuddering breath. "I… should have told you. I was just… I tried so hard to forget."

Yang rubbed soothing circles on her back. "So… I'm gonna guess a bad break-up?"

That got a watery laugh out of Blake. She sniffed. "That's an understatement." She muttered into Yang's shirt.

Weiss rubbed her thumb along Blake's hand. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Blake stiffened. She pulled away from Yang's embrace. She lifted her head, her eyes meeting Yang's, before turning to do the same with Weiss and Ruby. She swallowed thickly, looking down. "I… I don't think I can." She mumbled guiltily.

Yang draped her arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "Hey, it's okay. Take your time."

Weiss nodded. "If you're not comfortable talking about it right now, we can wait until you're ready." Ruby smiled at her side, agreeing.

Blake took a few shaky breaths. Her fingers rubbed against the teeth marks on her shoulder, the foreign feeling of scarred skin twisting her gut. Her eyes slid closed.

Then she felt it. From all sides, calm, patience, concern. She could feel her would-be Mates surrounding her, offering their support for the sheer virtue that they wanted to help her. Warmth filled her chest.

Letting out a long, shaky breath, Blake leaned her head against Yang's shoulder. Keeping her eyes closed, she steeled herself. _I can tell them… a little. They deserve that much._

"There was someone… in the White Fang." Her voice was low and quiet, forcing the three girls around her to lean in slightly. "We grew up together. When we grew older, I thought… I thought I loved him."

Three pairs of eyes widened as Blake revealed a small portion of her well-guarded past. Blake swallowed before continuing, her tone soft. "He was my best friend… someone I could always talk too. But…" She took a shuddering breath. "He changed. I didn't realize it until…" A sob burst passed her lips as she clenched at her shoulder. Her eyes quickly welled up again.

"Hey, hey…" Yang shushed. "It's okay. You don't have to keep going if you don't want too."

Blake forced her watery eyes open. She looked towards Yang, searching her eyes, and found nothing but concern. Turning to the right, she was met with the same from Weiss and Ruby.

"Can you tell me one thing, Blake?"

She turned back to Yang, looking up at her. "What?"

Yang couldn't help but fidget her shoulders, her worry and agitation starting to get to her. "Did… did he hurt you?"

Blake held her gaze, before lowering her eyes. "Not physically." She muttered faintly.

Yang let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She held Blake tight. "I'm sorry." She murmured. What else could she say?

Blake took a few minutes, breathing in the scent of Yang's shirt as she tried to calm herself. She was aware of Ruby's arms around her waist, the younger girl having slipped in without her noticing. She felt Weiss give her hand a squeeze. A half-smile graced her lips for a moment, before her face fell again. "I just don't understand."

"Understand what?" Ruby questioned from behind her.

"How it came back." This earned surprised looks from all around, so Blake tried to explain. "It… it happened over a year ago. His aura burnt out after a week and the bite healed. The scar faded to the point you only saw it if you were looking for it. I don't understand how it just… reappeared like this."

Her hand slipped off her shoulder, giving Ruby and Yang their first look of the former Mark. Like Weiss had said, it was a ring of teeth marks, much larger than the ones on their own shoulders, at least an inch wider. The teeth marks themselves seemed larger as well.

After a few seconds, Ruby's eyes lit up. "Maybe it's because we're all Mates now?"

Weiss and Blake looked at her in surprise, while Yang just raised an eyebrow at her. "How do you figure, Sis?"

"Well…" Ruby started. "Blake said that, if we were all Faunus, she would have gotten a Mark from us, right?" They nodded at her. "Well, even though we didn't give her a Mark, maybe her body thinks we did."

Yang scrunched her brow in confusion, not quite following. Blake tilted her head in thought, while Weiss hummed.

"Maybe…" the heiress wondered. She turned Blake. "You said that the Mark was still there, just that it had healed and faded, right?"

Blake nodded. "Yes."

Weiss put her free hand to her chin, thinking. "Well then… what if, when you gave us our Marks and started the Mating process, your body reacted? Like Ruby said, it knew you were suppose to have a Mark, so it worked with what it had, and revitalized the old Mark?"

Blake's eyes widened. She looked to Yang, asking for her input.

Yang just shook her head. "Don't look at me. This is way over my head."

Blake frowned. "It… _sounds_ like it makes sense." She conceded.

Yang hummed. "Is it hurting you?" She asked, concerned.

Blake shook her head. "No. It just… brings back bad memories."

Yang looked thoughtful, before she smiled brightly. "Well then, let's balance it out with some good ones! And I say we start with dinner. I'm starving!"

There was a collective eyeroll at Yang's blatant attempt to change the subject. Blake managed a small smile. "Thanks, but I'm not really that hungry, Yang."

"You sure?" Yang asked with a sly grin. "I got tuna-noodle casserole~."

"... well, maybe just a little."

Just like that , things went back to normal. Ruby gave Blake a quick squeeze around her waist, before scrambling off the bed to get the forgotten takeout boxes. Yang briefly scratched Blake behind the ear, earning a half-annoyed, half-endeared glare, before following her sister. Blake adjusted her sleep robe, carefully pulling it up over her shoulder, and stood up.

Weiss was right behind them as they made their way to the kitchen table, but she hesitated when she saw Blake wipe her eyes.

She let out a sigh as she thought about what she'd heard. It really troubled her how little she knew about Blake, both in her personal history and in how her species functioned. She wanted to help Blake, somehow…

She saw something from the corner of her eye. She looked, her gaze falling on the stack of books sitting beside Blake's desk. She walked over to them, recognizing the one on top: _Strange Fates of Faunus Mates._

Weiss stared at the book, an idea forming.

"Weiss, are you coming? We got some of that duck orange stuff you like."

Weiss rolled her eyes, looking towards the door. "It's pronounced 'a l'orange', Ruby."

"Whatever!"

Weiss shook her head in exasperation, a begrudging smile playing at her lips. She looked back at the book, considering. She made her choice.

She picked up the book, then tossed it on her bunk. She had some reading to do after dinner.

* * *

 **A/n: Yeah, this chapter just feels all over the place. Hopefully it's not too much of a mess. I tried, honest!**

 **Okay, this might be a weird request, but if any of my readers know how to work TV Tropes and has some free time, could you please make a page for this story? Someone did that for one of my other stories, and it was really cool seeing people point out certain things I wrote without noticing. I'm not demanding or anything, I just thought it'd be cool.**

 **Later**!


	21. Chapter 21: Thursday

**Chapter 21: Thursday**

Weiss scanned the pages for the dozenth time, swallowing.

 _This is it_ , she thought, not believing her luck. _This is what I was looking for._

She slowly closed the book, letting out a slow breath, willing herself to calm. She glanced around the dorm, finding herself alone.

 _Ruby's in JNPR's dorm, swapping weapon ideas with Nora. Yang said she was going to work out in the school gym. Blake's reading in the library._

It was the first time they had all been separated from each other in almost a week. Weiss hadn't even realized it until she tried to think of a time when she could talk to both Ruby and Yang without Blake present. It was by sheer luck that they all had individual plans after classes. Just to be sure, she closed her eyes and reached out with her aura. No negativity, no worry-inducing spikes in emotion. Just calm, contentedness, satisfaction, and humor all around.

 _If there was ever a time, this is it._

Weiss pulled out her scroll, and typed out a simple message.

 _ **W- Can I talk to you, now if possible?**_

She selected Ruby and Yang's names from her contacts, careful to avoid hitting Blake's name as well. She hit send, then stood up from her desk, and started pacing. She felt a twinge of annoyance as she did so. Weiss had always been able to stay still and poised in the past, no matter how anxious or agitated she got. Ever since she had met Ruby and Yang, however, it seemed like her daily life was permanently set on fast-forward. Always loud, always chipper, always so full of energy. Without realizing it, Weiss had gone from hating it, to tolerating it, to actually looking forward to the noise and excitement that greeted her every morning. To the point that now, the quiet and calm she once pined for seemed almost wrong. Without Ruby's energy or Yang's boisterousness, Weiss felt the need to fill the void herself. Hence, the pacing.

The sound of the door opening drew her attention. Ruby poked her head in, a not-quite-frown on her lips. "Hey, Weiss. Something wrong?"

Weiss felt her the corner of her mouth curl up a bit. After yesterday, Ruby had been checking on each of them as often as she could, making sure there was nothing else wrong. It was kind of cute. "Nothing's wrong, Ruby. I just wanted to talk with you about something."

Ruby perked up a bit. "Oh! Okay!" Ruby stepped inside the room and shut the door behind her. "What's up?"

Weiss sat down at the edge of her bed. She still had the book in her hand. "If you don't mind, I'd like to wait for…" Her scroll dinged, interrupting her. She opened it and read.

 _ **Y- On my way up. C U in 5**_

Weiss sighed. "... Yang. Why must she butcher our language every time she sends a text?" She didn't even try to hide her exasperation.

Ruby giggled. "She's not the only one who does that, Weiss. You should see Nora. All she uses is those little emotion faces."

Weiss rolled her eyes at the thought. "Anyway, Yang will be up in five minutes. I'd like to wait for her, so I don't have to repeat myself."

"Okay," Ruby said. She looked up at her bunk for a moment, like she was thinking about hopping up their, but instead opted for falling back on Weiss' bed.

Weiss gave her a brief glance as she spread her arms out and relaxed, before ignoring her, chalking it up as Ruby being Ruby. She cracked open the book again, skimming through it until she found the right page. She started reading, just to triple check that she wasn't mistaken on anything.

Ruby folded her hands behind her head, staring up at the bed above her. Aaand… she was bored. She sighed. She'd been having so much fun with Nora just now, the hammer-wielder explaining her ideas for adding electricty to her fighting style, and Ruby firing back with her own plans for slimming down Crescent Rose's design. It was enough to get her blood pumping just on the thoughts alone, but when she'd gotten Weiss' text, she'd pretty much dropped everything, (though Nora didn't seem to be bothered, saying she was going to go find Ren to do something) and ran right over, expecting the worse.

Not that she was upset that nothing was wrong, but it had brought her earlier excitement to a screeching halt.

Her gaze shifted to Weiss, who was calmly flipping through pages in the book she was holding. A smile graced her lips at the sight, Weiss calm and thoughtful against the orange sky visible out the window.

 _She looks so pretty_. Ruby thought to herself, admiring the perfect picture Weiss made.

A thought popped into her head. Her cheeks tinted a little, but after a moment, she couldn't think of a reason not to act on it.

Slowly and quietly, Ruby pushed herself up, sideling up to her oblivious partner. "Weiss?"

"Hmm?" Weiss hummed turning away from her reading. "What is it Rub-mmm!?"

Weiss was cut off when Ruby, quiet suddenly, leaned forward, pressing her lips to her partners. Weiss froze in shock for a moment, her vision consumed with the closed eyed face of Ruby, before her own eyes slowly slid shut, the book tumbling out of her hands.

Ruby worked her jaw against Weiss', her mouth opening just enough for the tip of her tongue to slip through. She was pleasantly surprised when she felt Weiss' hand cup the side of her face, and Weiss tongue touched her own.

The kiss stretched on, niether of them noticing time passing until Ruby felt her lungs beg for air. She pulled away slowly, taking a deep breath. She opened her eyes, only to find Weiss staring back through half-opened eyes, her face flushed. "What was that for?" She asked softly, a small smile on her lips.

Ruby blushed deeply, an embarrassed smile forming. "Just kind of felt like it." She admitted, just as quietly.

They stared at each other, mirrored blushes on their faces, smiling awkwardly as their emotions bounced between them, making them blush deeper.

"So, do you two want some time alone?"

Ruby and Weiss jumped apart, their heads snapping towards the hall door.

Yang smirked at them, leaning against the closed door with her arms crossed. She was still in her workout gear, her plain grey shirt and gym shorts sticking to her skin.. A gym bag hung off her shoulder.

Weiss felt her face heat up in embarrassment. "Yang… how long were you standing there?"

Yang's smirk grew. "About a minute. Impressive lung capacity, by the way."

"Yang!" Ruby yelped, her red face matching Weiss'.

Yang chuckled, unfolding her arms as she pushed herself off the door. "Hey, I was asked to be here. Not my fault you two decided to have some private time while you waited. I don't mind." She made her way across the room, dropping her bag with a thud. She leaned over Weiss. "Just so long as you don't mind me getting my turn."

"What do you me-mmm!" For the second time, Weiss was silenced by a pair of lips as Yang captured her in a quick, rough kiss that robbed her of her breath. Weiss unconsciously pressed back against her, holding the kiss for a few seconds until Yang pulled back her head.

Ruby covered her mouth as Yang pulled away, finding the stunned look on Weiss' reddening face utterly hilarious. Yang straightened back up, smirk still fully in place.

Weiss looked up at her dumbly. Her eyes then flicking to Ruby, still holding in giggles. Then she crossed her arms, refusing to look at either of them. "I hate both of you."

Yang snorted turned away and moved toward her dresser. "Yeah, your emotions say different, Snowflake. I'm flattered, by the way. Never thought I'd make someone feel so… excited."

Weiss head snapped back to the blonde riffling through her dresser, the heiress's cheeks burning. "I assure you that I do not feel…" She trailed off as Yang, her back still to the heiress, unceremoniously pulled off her sweat soaked shirt, leaving her in just her shorts and yellow bra.

"You were saying, Snowflake?" Yang said, the smirk obvious in her voice as she balled up the shirt and threw towards the closet, we'll aware of the blue eyes locked onto her defined back.

"Yang…" Ruby admonished, trying to will the amused grin off her face. "Stop teasing Weiss."

Yang sighed dramatically. "Okay…" She droned out in mock disappointment, pulling a black t-shirt out of the opened drawer. She quickly slipped it over her head. "Since you asked so nicely." She then pulled out a pair of blue jeans from a lower drawer, showing them to the pair. "Can I at least put these on first?"

Weiss pointedly looked away from her, ignoring the snickers from both sisters. "You're both children…" She muttered, fighting down the urge to turn her head when she heard fabric hit the floor.

"Weiss, you are the only person I've met who is so fun to be around by being no fun." Yang laughed.

Weiss rolled her eyes. " I suppose I'll take that as a compliment."

"Good, 'cause I meant it as one." Yang said, a genuine smile in her voice. "I'm decent now, by the way."

Weiss cautiously moved her head to the side, looking at Yang out the corner of her eye. She was grateful to find the blonde fully clothed. Though there was that one emberessigly rebellious part of her that felt a bit disappointed…

"Oh, in that case…" Yang suddenly said, gripping the hem of her shirt.

"No!" Weiss shouted, mortified. She threw up her hands, waving them back and forth. "No, no, you don't need too…" She stopped when Yang bent over, her shoulders shaking in withheld laughter.

A few snorts escaped the blond as she managed to lift her head up. " _Heh… heh…_ Dust, Weiss… _heh, heh..._ you make it too easy…"

"Yang…" Ruby warned, her lips twitching as she valiantly fought a smile.

Yang waved her off, shaking off the last bits of mirth. "Okay, okay…" She sat down next to Weiss, her wet eyes meeting the heiress' blue. "Sorry, Weiss. Just having a little fun." She playfully nudged Weiss with her elbow, smiling.

Weiss took a deep breath, willing the heat from her cheeks. Despite the scathing glare she gave Yang and the mortification she was feeling, she couldn't stop the warmth forming in her chest. _Very loud and lots of energy. All is right in my very odd world._

Still grinning, Yang asked, "So, what's the problem, Weiss?" Her face suddenly went slack, her voice dropping an octave as her eyes widened a little. "Wait, there's not an actual problem, is there?"

Weiss sighed. "No, Yang, there's no problem. I just wanted to talk to you both about something."

"Oh. Okay." Yang relaxed a little, the sudden tenseness in her shoulders abating. Then she frowned. "Wait… 'us both?' Without Blake?"

Weiss nodded. "Yes. Actually, it's Blake I wanted to talk about."

Ruby's brow scrunched in worry. "What about her?"

"Well, last night she told us about…" She paused, trying to think of the right word.

"Her old Mate?" Yang supplied, frown deepening.

Weiss nodded in thanks. "Yes, and about… her old Mark." She bent down, picking the book up from where she'd dropped it. "I kept wishing I knew more about how all of this 'Mates' and 'Mate's Mark' business worked, so I started reading this book."

She stopped when Yang snorted. "Yeah, we noticed. Weiss, you haven't put that thing down since you woke up this morning. I'm pretty sure I saw you reading it during Oobleck's lesson today."

Weiss flushed a little, embarrassed. "Well… it's a good read!" She defended lamely. She looked down at the book's cover, a simple pale blue color with various symbols (which she now knew were actually the Mate's Marks of some of the Faunus mentioned in the book) circling around a stylized heart. Her expression turned thoughtful. "There's a lot in here that I never knew about Faunus."

Ruby looked at the closed book, interested. "Like what?"

Weiss glanced at her, before opening the book, skimming through it. "For one thing, you remember what Blake said about Faunus 'Affinities?'"

Yang thought for a second, then nodded, remembering. "Yeah. They're like a second Semblance, right? Except that Mates share it."

Weiss hummed in confirmation. "Yes, but I never realized the extent of them! Some of these are… _incredible_." She sounded genuinely impressed.

Ruby started to get excited, bouncing in her seat. "Like what? Super strength? Fire breath? Ooh, the ability to fly? I've always wanted to fly."

Weiss absently put a hand on Ruby's head, causing the bouncing girl to still. Once Ruby gave her a sheepish grin, she continued. "Well, most of them are rather tame. One couple were able to see through each other's eyes, another could secrete various types of poisons from their claws…"

Yang raised an eyebrow, nodding. "Cool, but nothing really to write home about."

The corner of Weiss' mouth twitched. "Yes, well, then there are the exceptions. For instance, a rabbit and a ram Faunus gained the ability to teleport to wherever their Mate was, no matter the distance between them."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Cool."

"It gets better. A trio of wolf Faunus were able to turn their howls into a sonic attack, capable of shaking buildings apart. A boar and lion couple could harden their skin, making themselves nearly invulnerable. And then…"

The sisters, who were starting to get excited learning about the different Affinities Faunus had gotten by being Mates, turned to Weiss as she trailed off. Blue eyes stared down at the pages, her face softening.

"...there's this one." Her voice had grown unusually soft. "A couple who gained the power to control earth to a degree."

Yang looked between Weiss and the book, confused and concerned. "Okay, that's neat and all, but what's the big deal about those two?"

Weiss trailed her finger across the page. "Look at them."

Ruby and Yang shared a glance, then turned to the book in Weiss lap. Her finger rested below an illustration of the couple in question, standing in battle positions as chunks of rock and earth hovering around them. One was blonde horse Faunus, large equestrian ears hanging down from atop her head, and the other…

It took a minute for them to realize what they were looking at. Ruby's eyes widened at the same time Yang whispered.

"He's human."

Weiss nodded, her expression conflicted. "He is. These two were from Mistral, and according to the book, the first recorded interspecies Mates to develop an ability outside of their regular Semblances… a Faunus Affinity."

The room fell silent as the information sank in.

Yang was the first to voice what they were all thinking. "Humans can get an Affinity. _We_ could get an Affinity."

Weiss' lips pressed into a fine line. "The book says that Mates developing an Affinity is rare, a one-in-twenty chance, but… it's possible."

"Cool…" Ruby droned, stars in her eyes. Then she frowned. "Wait a sec. What does that have to do with Blake's old Mark?"

Her question seemed to bring Weiss back to the task at hand. With a small shake off her head, she started flipping through pages again. "Right, sorry. My original point was, I read about a lot of strange things Faunus Mates have gone through in this book, and I was hoping I could find one that might help us help Blake. And… I think I found it."

She stopped flipping pages, landing on the start of a new chapter. Yang read the title, brow cocked. " _All Bark and Unable To Bite_?" She said skeptically.

Weiss shared her bemusement, giving an exasperated sigh. "All the chapters have titles like that. The author of the book has an odd sense of humor. Still, I think this story is what I was looking for."

"Wait, just hold up a sec, Weiss." Yang shook her head, frowning a little. "What exactly were you looking for?"

Weiss swallowed, meeting first Ruby's eyes, then Yang's. She took a breath. "A way for us to give Blake a Mate's Mark."

Lavender and grey eyes widened. Yang and Ruby looked each other in shock, then back at Weiss. "But… Blake said humans can't make a Mate's Mark." Ruby murmured, stunned.

Weiss nodded. "We can't, not in the same way a Faunus can. But in this story…" She trailed off, looking down at the book. She soon felt the expectant stares the sisters were giving her. She licked her lips nervously, looking down at the book. "I'll summarize it for you…"

* * *

" _During the height of the Great War, there was a young Faunus couple from a small village in Mistral. The female was a bull Faunus, and the male was a wolf. When soldiers came to the village asking for new recruits, the wolf Faunus volunteered, in the hopes that he could help bring the war to an end, and make his home a safe place to live._

" _Before he could leave, however, the female asked him to take her as his Mate, a decision they had both been considering long beforehand. The male, aware of the dangers he would soon face on the battlefield, refused, unwilling to put her through the pain of feeling him leave her should the worst happen. But he made her a promise: on the day he returned home, once the fighting had ended and the land was safe, he would not hesitate to become her Mate, and link their souls together._

" _For years the war raged. The Wolf Faunus fought valiantly beside his brethren, felling warriors from far and wide. Every night, he remembered his beloved, waiting for him to return. He fought across deserts and rallied against his enemies. He was injured time and again, his body becoming littered with scars, but never once did he fall, the memory of his waiting love pushing him on._

" _Then, one day, a miracle happened. The Four Kingdoms laid down their weapons, and spoke to one another. A treaty was forged, and the War ended. At long last, the Wolf Faunus could return home._

" _Alongside his fellow warriors, the Wolf Faunus began his trek home. Along the way, they drank and rejoiced, singing songs of victory as they made their way down the darkened roads. A day's walk from his village, they made camp for the night, drinking and singing without a care in the world._

" _But while the world's soldiers had ended their aggression, the creatures of the darkness had not. While the soldiers slept, a pack of Beowolves descended on their camp. Startled and impaired, the soldiers did their best to fight them off. They managed to do so, but the noise of the fight had attracted an even greater threat: an Alpha Ursa. while the soldiers focused on the lesser beasts, the Ursa raised to it hind legs, and brought its claws down on the nearest soldier: the Wolf Faunus._

" _Angered at seeing their comrade fall, the warriors fought the best, eventually managing to bring it down. When they found their comrade unconscious but alive, their relief turned to panic at the sight of his injuries. With no time to spare, they picked him up, and ran to the village, making the day long journey in just a few hours. They reached it just as the sun began to rise, awaking the local doctor with their pleas for help._

" _The Wolf Faunus' wounds were extensive. His back was bloodied by claws, his arm and ribs shattered by the Ursa's weight. But most disparaging was his jaw, broken by the beasts attack._

" _The doctor did what he could. He set the broken bones and cleaned his wounds. He wired the wolf's jaw shut._

" _When the Wolf Faunus awoke, his first sight was the bull Faunus. She had been alerted of his condition as soon as he'd arrived, and refused to leave his side until he awoke. Upon seeing her face, he tried to speak her name, only to find his mouth unable to move. Once he realized what had happened, he fell into despair, as he was unable to keep the promise he made so long ago._

" _In desperation, he hatched a plan. Through clenched teeth, he told his love his idea. Though hesitant, she agreed. They approached one of the Wolf's brother warriors, a Rabbit Faunus he had fought beside since entering the War. They asked him to do something never before attempted: to start making a Mate's Mark that his friend would finish._

" _Shocked, the warrior asked them to repeat themselves. He asked the Bull if she agreed with her lover's idea. When she said yes, he agreed. The Wolf Faunus had saved his life many times throughout the War, so the least he could do was help his friend with his mad plan._

" _The Rabbit Faunus carefully put his mouth over the woman's neck, and bit down. She let out a yelp as he pushed his aura into her, a burning feeling forming as her body rejected it. The Rabbit quickly pulled away, and the Wolf took his place. The wolf put his hand over the quickly dying Mark, and pushed his aura into it as if it was his own. As he did, his love leaned forward and bit him, doing the same._

" _Seconds passed as they held each other, each hoping for the impossible. Then, they felt it: A warmth spread from their bites and overtook their bodies, the bites themselves glowing faintly. They pulled apart, keeping their hands linked, as they stared at the bites on each other's necks. Before their very eyes, the bites healed, fading into nothingness. The aura left behind shifted and twisted on their skin, before forming solid lines of blue and gold: two swords, crossed, a crescent moon sitting between the blades._

 _The two Mates smiled, tears in their eyes. They embraced, then turned to their friend, thanking him for his help. From then on, they called him brother."_

* * *

As Weiss fell silent, she stared at the illustration at the end of the story, a depiction of the Mate's Mark in question. Very slowly, she closed the book.

Ruby and Yang sat there, stunned. Ruby's mind was racing, taking in the story she'd just been told. She suddenly had a thought.

"You want us to do that with Blake."

Ruby jumped. It hadn't been her, but Yang who had spoken. The blonde was looking at Weiss thoughtfully, her eyes questioning.

Weiss swallowed, then gave a nod. "Yes. I thought about it, and I think Ruby was right. I think Blake's old Mark came back because she gave us all Mate's Marks. Her Mark is there, but it's empty. I think we could do what the Faunus in the story did, add our aura to her old Mark, and make it our own… if Blake wants us too, of course."

Yang tilted her head back, looking at the ceiling. "Weiss that's…" She suddenly laughed. "That's awesome!" She jumped off the bed and spun around, facing them both with a look that could only be described as ecstatic. "We could give Blake a Mark just like ours, let her feel exactly what we do! Weiss, I could kiss you! In fact…" Yang jumped forward, slamming her lips against Weiss'.

Weiss reciprocated for a moment, before pushing the excited blonde back. "Yang, calm down, please!" Even with her stern tone and red face, Weiss couldn't stop the smile that was spreading across her lips. "I don't even know if it would work for sure. From what I can tell, a human has never been able to give a Faunus a Mate's Mark."

"But no human's ever tried to do what you want to try, right?" Yang refused to be brought down, her usual grin back in full force.

Weiss let out a small sigh, still smiling. "As far as I can tell, no. I don't know if it'll work… but I think it's worth a try."

"So…"

Weiss and Yang turned at the voice. Ruby looked back at them, glancing between them with a hesitant but hopeful look on her face. "You two really want to do it? You want to stay as Blake's Mate's?"

In an instant, all traces of excitement in the room was gone. Weiss' blue eyes widened at Ruby, before she looked away, biting her lip. Yang stiffened, then let out a slow breath, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Right…" The blonde said slowly, her eyes not leaving the ground. "Tomorrow's when…"

"I… I forgot…" Weiss muttered weakly. "I was so focused on helping Blake, it… slipped my mind."

Ruby frowned, her shoulders slumping. The uncertainty and worry coming of them was so strong, she almost thought she was feeling them herself. "So… you don't want to be Mate's with her?"

"No!" Yang shouted, suddenly panicked. "I mean, yes, I do, but…" She trailed off helplessly.

Weiss nodded, feeling the same. "I… I think I do, Ruby. But there's so much involved. If my father finds out…"

Yang suddenly slapped her forehead, groaning. "Crap, I didn't even think of that. Dating's one thing, but this… dad'll throw a fit."

"But… don't you guys like feeling each other's emotions?" Ruby asked, a little desperately.

Yang saw the distress on Ruby's face, and felt the emotions rolling off of her. A soft smile formed on her lips as she kneeled beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Of course I do, Ruby. This… knowing how each of you feel, not having to guess whether any of you are okay or not… it's incredible."

"I… I have to agree," Weiss said slowly, drawing their attention. With some effort, she managed to meet their eyes. "I wasn't sure about… opening myself to you all like this. But… I like i-it." Her voice caught on the last word. Thoughts of every possible way being Mated could go wrong rushed to the forefront of her mind, her father chief among them. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. "I don't want to lose it."

"Hey…" Yang reached out with her other hand, gripping Weiss shoulder as she did Ruby's. "Don't start with that…"

"I-I'm sorry…" Weiss shuddered, trying to keep down the sudden onslaught of emotion. "I just… I like what we have… I like being a team, I like being close. I like knowing how you're all feeling… I like all of you… I… I lo-" Weiss tried to choke out the words, but they stuck in her throat.

But she didn't need to say them. Ruby and Yang were struck dumb by the feelings coming off Weiss. Past the fear and the worry, there was happiness, contentedness, tenderness, hope, joy… it was overwhelming.

Without even looking at each other, the sisters moved as one. Yang took her place Weiss' side again, putting an arm around her shoulders, while Ruby scooted over to Weiss other side, wrapping both arms around her waist.

"We love you too, Weiss." Ruby said whispered softly in her ear. Yang nodded, squeezing her gently.

Weiss let out a breathless gasp. She looked between the two girls holding her, disbelief plain on her features. The she looked down. Hesitantly, she reached for Yang's hand with her left. The blonde gave it to her, holding it tight. Weiss then placed her right hand on Ruby's arm, the leader pulling it back so she could hold hands as well. The sisters squeezed her hands, making it clear that they weren't letting her go. Tears slid down Weiss face as she gasped, her breathing coming out in ragged heaves as she fought not to break down sobbing.

Minutes passed as the three sat on Weiss bed, each focusing on the others emotions, Ruby and Yang holding onto Weiss as the heiress fought through the hurricane that was her own thoughts and feelings. Once Weiss calmed down enough, Yang looked hard at her, then at her sister. She breathed deeply.

"Okay," She started, her voice strong. Ruby and Weiss turned to her, meeting her determined gaze. "We need to decide this now. No parents, no SDC; nothing but the four of us. Girls… do we love Blake?"

"Yes." Ruby said without hesitation. She'd made that decision long before now.

Weiss paused, thinking. She thought about the past week, the talk she and Blake had had the night after the Faunus' heat. She thought of the little things she's done with Blake, small moments of bonding. Her lips lifted just a little.

"Yes." She said faintly, sounding almost surprised. "Yes, I do."

Yang nodded, smiling herself as she thought of her partner. "Same. Now, Weiss, I think Rubes said it best. You know we both love you just as much as Blake, right?"

Weiss swallowed, her cheeks warming. "Yes… but Yang…"

Yang squeezed her hand, silencing her. "I know… we're going to have a lot things standing in our way… but come on," She said, her usual lopsided grin coming back. "We're Team RWBY! We can already solve anything by sticking together. We do this, we'll be unstoppable!"

Weiss laughed a little despite herself. "I wish I had your confidence, Yang."

"Well…" Yang droned, giving Weiss a sly look. "Technically, you can…"

With that, Weiss pulled her hand out of Yang's grasp and punched her in the arm, grinning. "Shut up, you know what I mean."

Yang laughed, hugging Weiss closer. "There we go! Feisty Weissy, back in action!"

Weiss stuck a finger in Yang's face, her glare ruined by the smile on her face. "You are _not_ calling me that." He smile lessened as she lowered her hand, her eyes lowering a little. "I'm still scared."

"We all are, Weiss." Ruby said, having let Yang say her piece. "But Yang's right. Whatever comes our way, we'll beat it together!"

Weiss stared into Ruby's grey eyes, seeing nothing but brightness in them. Through the Link, she felt Ruby and Yang's emotions back up their words. Both felt fear and worry, but also hope and confidence.

Finally, she nodded. "Okay. We… we're going to be Blake's Mates." Her voice wavered a little, but she still managed to sound confident.

"And she'll be ours." Ruby reminded her.

"Right," Weiss agreed with a nod. Now that they'd worked through some of her worries, Weiss actually started to feel a little excited about the future. "So… what now?"

"Now," Yang said, pulling her arm away and standing. "I say we go find Blake, we tell her your idea for her Mark, and then we tell her that we've decided."

"Ditto!" Ruby said, leaping up.

Weiss shook her head. _From serious to childish in an instant,_ she thought with amusement as she stood up. "Well, she said she'd be in the library. We could either call her to come her, or-"

The three froze.

 _Frustration. Anger. Worry. Fury. Fear._

They all turned to each other in shock. The same word left their lips at the same time.

"Blake…"

* * *

 **A/n: Yes, a cliff hanger. Actually been a while since I did one.**

 **Next chapter might take a little longer. I'm going to try to get a chapter out for a couple other stories that have been on the back burner way to long. See you all soon!**


	22. Chapter 22: Dissonance

**Chapter 22: Dissonance**

 **Beacon's Library**

Blake let out a small sigh, closing the book she'd been reading. She got out of her chair, picking up the stack of books she'd collected. She started slowly towards the front desk.

Try as she might, for once, Blake just couldn't focus on reading. She'd found one or two new books that held her interest, but she couldn't bring herself to sit down and take them in. Her mind was too cluttered, unwanted thoughts overpowering everything else.

Time was up. This was the last day that the other's Mate's Marks would be at their full strength. Once the sun came up tomorrow, the Marks would start breaking down, the slivers of her aura fading and flickering until they were just… gone.

And no one had said anything.

There was still a very loud part of her (one that sounded like a scolding Ruby) that said there was still time, that she should give her teammates the benefit of the doubt. So far, it seemed like they enjoyed being Mated, and how the Link had affected their lives. They could still say yes.

But as loud as that voice was, it couldn't drown out her worries. It was a humongous change, one that none of them had even considered until Blake's heat-addled mind had thrust it upon them. Ruby was still a little young, and Yang might not want to be tied down to a relationship yet. And Weiss…

A Schnee becoming a Faunus' Mate. There were dozens of ways that could go wrong, for both of them.

That thought continued to worry her, ever since Weiss had broken down in her arms that night.

"Can I help you, Miss Belladonna?"

Blake jumped. With a start, she realized she had been standing in front of the librarian's desk for several minutes. She muttered an apology, handing over the books she wanted to check out. The old lady gave her a kind smile, and Blake was soon walking out of the library, books held in her arms as she marched up the hall, retreating back into her thoughts.

She tried to picture a future with Ruby, Yang, and Weiss as her Mates. A smile formed on her lips as she thought of Team RWBY, years from now, still fighting together, ferocious Huntresses by day, tender lovers by night. An apartment in one of Vale's skyscrapers, or maybe a large house out in the countryside. Curling up together on cold nights… starting a family…

She stopped that thought before it even started. A million things would have to go perfectly before _that_ became anything more than a wayward thought. Graduating Beacon, getting steady paying missions… the SDC… the White Fang…

… staying together…

Blake could feel her ears droop, her bow bending a little at the sides, and had to struggle not to just let them do what they wanted.

 _Why did I think this would work?_

"So how much did it take?"

Blake stopped, surprised. She had entered the courtyard, when a rough, deep voice sounded behind her. She turned around.

It was the bear Faunus from before, the one that had been bothering Weiss during Grimm Studies. She'd heard his name said in class a few times. Koda? Kodlak? Something like that. He was leaning against the building wall, right next to the doorway. He had his arms crossed, a sneer on his lips.

"E-Excuse me?" Blake asked, already feeling on edge.

The sneer grew, his lips pulling back to show teeth. "I'm curious. Just how much did she have to offer you to sell your soul?"

Blake's eyes widened, then narrowed dangerously. "Excuse me?" She repeated, her voice lowering.

The bear Faunus scoffed. "Don't play dumb. The Schnee walking around with a Mate's Mark? Kind of hard to miss."

Feeling a spark of panic, Blake quickly looked around the area. Students were milling around the grounds like normal, but no one else was immediately nearby.

"What, afraid of the humans finding out?" Her head snapped back to him, making him bark out a laugh. "Why? Most Faunus would be thrilled to be Mated. Or was silence part of the deal?"

Blake's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Deal?"

He rolled his eyes. "Y'know, the one you have with the Schnee? What is it, some kind of publicity stunt? I noticed the second I walked into Port's class on Monday. At first I thought it was some kind of trick, some new way she'd found to screw with Faunus, but then I saw you glaring at me. So how much did she give you? Must have been a lot to trick yourself into thinking you care for her."

Blake felt her shoulders tense. A feral growl formed in her chest, just begging to be let loose. She managed to hold it in, just barely. "You think she _paid_ me?" She seethed.

The bear Faunus (Kojak, that was it) blinked. "Yeah? She did _something_ , obviously. It must have been big for you to make an actual working Mate's Mark."

Blake felt pressure in the back of her throat, a feline yowl seconds away from leaving her mouth. She swallowed it down, taking a calming breath. She leveled a cold stare at him. "Did it ever cross your mind that maybe I truly do care for her?"

Kojak blinked again, then laughed. "Yeah right. Seriously, how much? Five figures? Six?"

Blake felt her shoulders raise a little. "She didn't pay me." Her clenched teeth was the only reason she hadn't yelled it.

He scoffed. "Then what? She must have done something for you to have twisted yourself so much into thinking you care for her."

"Nothing more then being herself." She voice lowered dangerously, daring him into refuting her.

He actually laughed. "Wow, you actually sound serious. Hell, I almost…" He trailed off when he noticed her unwavering glare. His eyes narrowed, the first show of confusion flickering in them. "Wait… are… are you serious?"

"Completely." Her voice gained an unmistakable growl of agitation. Blake felt the slight tightness in her eyes as she forced them to slit. She wanted to make this as clear as possible and end this conversation.

Kojak flinched a bit, and Blake took a small bit of satisfaction as he did. It was always good to get the proper reaction to a Faunus' universal signal of 'back off.'

He pushed himself off the wall, uncrossing his arms. His face went slack with realization. "No way… you… she's a Schnee!"

Blake actually took a step back at his sudden yell. Kojak's face twisted into a snarl, showing off his pointed teeth. "How the hell could you actually feel something for one of them!? What, do you not know how they treat us?"

Blake gulped. From the corner of her eye, she saw a few students look towards them, their attention drawn by his loud yelling. She forced down her anger and spoke calmly. "I'm well aware of the SDC's policies, but Weiss has nothing to do with that."

Kojack growled. "She has everything to do with it. It's her company!"

"It's her _father's_ company," She corrected.

He rolled his eyes. "Like it matters! They're all the same."

Blake's eyes hardened. "No, they're not." She took in a slow breath through her nose, willing herself to calm. She let it out as a sigh. She gave him a tired look. "Why do you even care, Kojak? Who I Mate is no one's business but my own."

Kojak took a threatening step forward. "I care because you're making a mockery of everything important to us!"

Amber eyes narrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Kojak growled. "You. I'm talking about you. Everything I've seen about you since I came here has done nothing but piss me off. The Schnee just clinched it."

Blake's expression morphed to one of utter bafflement. "I've hardly spoken to you since I enrolled. I don't even really know who you are. What have I done to make you angry?"

He glowered at her. Then, very deliberately, his eyes turned slightly upwards.

"That." He spat, glaring at the top of her head. "You did that."

It took a full second for Blake to understand what he meant. When she did, her blood froze in her veins, her eyes widening in panic.

Her bow suddenly felt much heavier.

* * *

 **RWBY Dorm**

"Something's wrong." Weiss stated, worry in her voice.

"Yeah, no kidding, Weiss," Yang said breathlessly. "Where is she right now?"

"The library. Or at least… near it." Weiss frowned, frustrated at her lack of skill. None of them had really figured out how to translate where one of their auras were when sensing into a physical location yet.

"Um… should I…?" Ruby questioned fidgeting in place. She bounced from one foot to the other, wanting to run to Blake right that instant, but not wanting to leave Yang and Weiss behind.

"Yes, go!" Yang shouted.

"Hurry, Ruby!" Weiss yelled at the same time. "We'll catch up!"

Ruby blinked in surprise, then gave a terse nod. In a red flash, she was out the door, a cloud of rose petals floating where she'd been.

Yang moved to run after her. "Come on, Weiss!"

Weiss took a step towards her, then stopped. "Wait!"

Yang stumbled at Weiss' sudden yell. She turned back, mounting panic on her face. "What!?"

"Just-" Weiss' eyes flicked back and forth as she thought. He gaze then snapped to Yang, face set in determination. "I have an idea." She suddenly ran to the window, throwing it open as she started to look around.

Yang, completely lost and getting agitated as she felt Blake's fear spike, marched towards the heiress, ready to drag her to the door if necessary. "Weiss, I really don't think we have time for-"

"Do you trust me?"

Yang stopped mid-word as Weiss suddenly rounded on her, her crystal blue eyes boring into her own with the utmost seriousness as she placed her hand on the windowsill.

"Uh… yeah?" Yang answered, caught off guard.

Weiss nodded. "Then follow me." She then turned around…

And jumped out the window.

Yang froze as her heart skipped a beat. She stared dumbly at the empty window for a second.

"Weiss!" Yang ran the rest of the way across the room, new panic fueling the old. She barely stopped herself from jumping out after the heiress, and looked down out the window, expecting the worse…

Only to be met with Weiss impatient glare as she stared up at her, tapping her foot on the large glyph she was standing on just ten feet beneath the window.

"Well? Come on!"

Yang blinked rapidly, her brain trying to process what she was staring at. Despite everything, she barked out a laugh. She lept out after her girlfriend, landing beside her on the glyph. "Y'know, I kinda forgot you could stand on these."

Weiss rolled her eyes, then summoned another glyph, this one in front and below them. "Let's go." She then leapt towards the glyph, preparing to make another as soon as her feet touched it.

Yang jumped after her, hearing the familiar reverberation of Weiss glyph disappearing as she lept off it. What little humor she had felt disappeared as she followed Weiss down her summoned path towards the ground, hoping that whatever was wrong with Blake was something they could fix.

* * *

Ruby was halfway down the third floor stairs when she suddenly had a thought. She came to an abrupt stop, the wind behind her scattering rose petals everywhere and blowing a the papers out of the hands of the poor group freshmen walking up the otherway.

"Shoot." She muttered under her breath. "We could probably use those."

Turning on her heel, Ruby blasted back up the way she came, leaving behind a bunch of angry students trying to figure out what scattered papers belonged to who.

* * *

 **Courtyard**

"Wha… What…?" Blake struggled to form words as her brain completely stalled. "What do you mean?"

Kojak snarled. "I'm from Atlas. My whole life, I got crap because of what I am. I was one of the only Faunus in my hometown, and the people there made sure I knew it. But my folks always told me to stand up to whatever was in my way, to always be proud of what I am. I pushed back against every embarrassment, every slur, every beatdown I ever got, and I managed to be the only member of my school to get a scholarship to come here to Beacon.

"And what do I find?" He barked out a laugh of disbelief. "Not only do I share half my classes with one of the Schnee basterds my dad ranted about my whole life, but then there's _you_." He practically spat the word.

Blake swallowed. This was bad. This was very, very bad. She glanced at the other students in the courtyard. No one was close enough to hear at the moment, but if this kept up… "What about me?"

He shook his head, sneering. "You _hide_. You hide your ears, you clip your claws; I bet you even ignore your own instincts! And for what? To _fit in?_ "

Blake's eyes narrowed, a true growl passing through her throat. "Forgive me for not wanting people to judge me before they know me."

Kojak laughed, jabbing a finger at her. "Then you better plan to keep hiding for a long ass time, 'cause trust me, it's never going to get better." He spread his arms wide, mockingly. "This is our world. The humans are up top, and us lowly Faunus are on the bottom."

Blake shook her head, the ice in her veins turning to fire. "It won't always be like that."

He scoffed. "Yeah, if you really believe that, then why hide in the first place? I've seen you during classes. You're one of the best Hunters in the whole school. You could be a symbol for every Faunus trying to make something of themselves, but instead, you'd rather be chalked up as just another human Hunter this school churned out, one of hundreds."

Blake was stunned. _Is… is that really what people think of me?_ Before she could refute him, Kojak went on.

"But you know, I was fine with that. Really, I was. I figured, 'If she wants to piss all over her species, fine. There's plenty of other Faunus in this school who can become what she refuses to be.'

"But then…" He shook his head, chuckling darkly. "You pull this. Taking more than one Mate, Mating humans, fine. I don't see the appeal, but hey, to each their own. But a _Schnee_?" He took a step forward as he shouted. Blake backed up a step, fighting her now screaming 'fight or flight' instinct. "I mean… how!? Why!? They hate Faunus!"

Blake growled in the back of her throat. " _Weiss_ doesn't." She felt her hands tense, her nails extending slightly as she gripped her books tightly against her chest. Whether by instinct or just regular anger, Blake would not tolerate this man bad-mouthing her friend, Mate or not.

Kojak didn't miss the subtle movement, and bafflement mixed with the anger on his face. "You're really willing to _fight_ me over her? Seriously, what do you see in her?"

Blake struggled not to raise her voice, not to give into the bestial part of her brain telling her to leap at this creature threatening her Mate. In a calm voice, her gaze never leaving Kojak's eyes, she proclaimed, "I see a kind person struggling against everything she was taught, and who's willing to learn about who and _what_ I am."

Kojak's brow raised, his disbelief palpable. "Wow, it that the line she fed you? 'Cause if so, how'd you fall for something so cheesy?"

Blake glared at him, then let out a frustrated sigh. "We're clearly not going to agree on anything, so I'm ending this. Kojak, you're entitled to your opinion, but I don't have to stand her and listen to it. I'll see you in class."

With that, Blake turned around and started marching towards her dorm, ignoring Kojak's shout of indignation. She made it three steps before-

Her instincts screamed at her to dodge at the same time she felt… something in the back of her head.

 **A flash of yellow and white.**

 **Jump/Turn.**

The sudden warring of her body trying to do three separate actions made her freeze. For a split-second she felt confusion.

Then her heart stopped as she felt something grab her bow.

And _pull_.

Time seemed to slow. She could feel it, the fabric of her bow leaving her head, a sudden chill as a small burst of fresh air hit her ears. Everything came to a stop as she realized _her worst fear was happening._

Then a piercing sound split the air, and her bow stopped moving. Abruptly.

"Let… her… _go_."

With deep, choppy breaths, Blake forced her eyes to the side, her head tilting minutely.

There was Weiss, her arm extended towards something directly behind Blake, her eyes colder than the Faunus had ever seen. Next to her, Yang was slightly hunched over, her fists clenched so tight that her knuckles were turning white. Her hair was glowing, and her eyes burned red as she glared.

Straining her eyes, Blake turned as much as she could without feeling her bow move.

Kojak was right behind her, the center of her bow clenched in his fist. His teeth were bared in a pained snarl as he struggled against the glyph around his wrist, holding him in place. He struggled and strained against it, but the glyph wouldn't budge. He grabbed his forearm with his other hand, pulling hard.

Blake struggled not to gasp as she felt her bow move a little in his hand.

"Hey!" Yang shouted, taking a threatening step forward. "She said let her go!"

Kojak glared at them. "And why should I?"

Yang growled as her eyes blazed, taking another step forward, rearing back her fist.

Suddenly, red. Swirling, surrounding, nothing but red all around them. Blake felt as if a tornado had materialized around her, wind whipping her hair wildly.

She heard a crunch. There was a yelp of pain. The grip on her bow disappeared.

She felt something grip her around the waist, and the world blurred as she was pulled. When it stopped, she felt as if her stomach had been left behind. As the wind died down, she looked around in confusion. A sea of rose petals slowly drifted around the area.

Ruby stood next to her, the leader's arm still wrapped around her middle. Crescent Rose hung compacted off her back, but Ruby's free hand was gripping her hilt, ready to wield the mighty weapon at a moment's notice. The young girl's face was strangely blank, her grey eyes fixed ahead

The familiar _chu-chk!_ made Blake turn her head to the left. With Ember Celica suddenly having appeared on her wrists, Yang pumped her arm quickly, loading a round into the gauntlet's chamber. Beside her, Myrtenaster had materialized on Weiss' hip, the heiress resting one hand over the rapier as she kept her now closed fist extended.

All three kept their eyes forward, glaring at the sight before them. Blake followed their gazes, and swallowed.

Kojak grit his teeth as her cradled his limp hand against his chest. Weiss' glyph was gone. The bear Faunus' eyes burned as he growled at Weiss. "Bitch, you broke my wrist!"

"Hey, that was her being nice, buddy." Yang's voice was disturbingly even for the amount of rage in her eyes. "Keep it up, and trust me, _I'll_ give you a reason to complain." To enforce her words, she pounded her fist into her palm, loading a round into the other gauntlet.

Kojak's eyes flicked between each member of Team RWBY. His eyes lingered on Weiss, then Blake, his lips parted in a scowl. He took a step back, then, with grunt, he turned and ran into the school, clutching his shattered wrist.

Only after he was gone did Ruby remove her arm from Blake's waist. With the apparent threat gone, Team RWBY relaxed. Yang's hair stopped glowing as her eyes changed back to their usual color, while Weiss' visibly warmed. They all turned to Blake, their concern clear on their faces as Ruby's rose petals settled on the ground around them.

"Are you okay, Blake?" Weiss asked softly.

Blake looked between them all, completely at a loss of what to say. "I…" With a gasp, she remembered. Her arms flew up towards the top of her head.

She froze when Yang's strong grip wrapped around her wrist. The blonde gave a comforting smile. "Hey, relax," With almost dismissive ease, she reached up with her other hand and lightly tugged down on Blake's bow, straightening it properly on her head.

"It didn't come all the way off," She whispered quietly, smoothing out the wrinkles in it. "No one saw them."

Blake inhaled sharply. Her eyes darted around, looking everywhere at once. Students all around the courtyard were staring at them, curiosity evident. But… so one was really looking at _her_ specifically. No shocked eyes looking up at her bow.

Blake breathed the air out slow. Her heart still hammered away, but she willed it to try and slow. She could feel in around her, a warm wave of concern and protectiveness, tempered with curiosity.

She managed to form a small smile. "Thank you." She murmured, so low they barely heard her.

Ruby leaned forward, re-wrapping her thin arms around the Faunus' waist in a brief hug. "No problem, Blake. It's what we're here for!"

Weiss smiled, ready to say something, but stopped when she saw movement out the corner of her eye. "Um… perhaps we should head back to our room, where we'd have less of an audience?"

Blinking in surprise, the other three followed her gaze. More students were entering the courtyard, new arrivals from late-day classes. Some of them were starting to group together with people that had already been there, and more and more eyes were staring to turn towards the four girls.

Blake felt that tightness in her spine, the uneasy feeling of being the center of attention. Her every instinct told her to _get away, quickly_.

He thoughts stopped when she felt a cool hand wrap around her own. Her eyes snapped back, only to be met with pools of calming blue.

"Blake?" Weiss asked, frowning.

Blake blinked. She quickly noticed Ruby and Yang staring at her with similar looks. She felt a warm feeling build in her chest.

"Y-Yeah," She stuttered. "Let's head back."

The sisters smiled, and Weiss gave her hand a small squeeze. Together, the four made the trek across the courtyard, Ruby taking point as Yang sidled up to Blake's other side.

Weiss' hand never let go of hers.

* * *

 **A/n: Expect the next chapter soon. Very soon.**


	23. Chapter 23: The Next Step

**Chapter 23: The Next Step**

The walk to the dorm was a comfortable one. Ruby and Yang filled the air with pointless banter, Weiss putting her own opinion in when asked for it (and a few times when not). Blake stayed mostly quiet, just enjoying the sense of normalcy surrounding her. Whereas before Ruby or Yang would have tried to bring her into the conversation on the grounds of thinking Blake was feeling left out, now they could feel that, no, Blake was content to just listen to them talk, finding humor and enjoyment from their interactions.

"Hey, Blake?"

Blake looked to see Ruby looking back at her. "Yes, Ruby?"

"Why was that guy messing with you?"

Blake fought down a groan. She knew they were going to ask, and truthfully, she didn't really know what to tell them. "He… didn't approve of some of the choices I've made," She settled on.

Yang raised an eyebrow, not fooled in the slightest. "Which choices?"

Blake sighed, meeting the blonde's eyes. "He didn't approve my choice to… hide."

Yang blinked, then scoffed in disbelief. "Yeah, well, goody for him. That didn't give him the right to grab you like that. Gah, now I wish I'd hit him."

"He's in our combat class next week," Weiss supplied, giving Yang a sidelong glance. She smirked a little. "You'll get your chance."

Yang's lips pulled up in a cold smile she usually saved for Cardin. "Sweet."

Blake giggled softly at their enthusiasm. Her smile quickly faded as Kojak's words started replaying in her head.

* * *

" _ **You could be a symbol for every Faunus trying to make something of themselves… I figured, 'If she wants to piss all over her species, fine. There's plenty of other Faunus in this school who can become what she refuses to be.'"**_

* * *

 _Is… is he right?_ She thought to herself. _Am I insulting my species by hiding what I am?_

The mere idea hurt her. She wanted to be seen as a person, not just a Faunus, but… she also wanted to help the Faunus people. By hiding what she was, was she doing more harm than good?

She felt Weiss squeeze her hand, drawing her from her thoughts. She turned to see the heiress staring at her in concern.

"What's wrong, Blake?"

Blake's first instinct was to deny that anything was wrong, or lie about what was, but she stopped herself. She could see Ruby and Yang giving her a similar look, and figured that they'd all felt her increasing worry.

 _They just want to help._ Blake told herself. _If there's anyone I can talk to… anyone I can trust… it's these three._ She took a deep breath, glancing around the hall briefly. No other students close enough to overhear them, no one coming from the direction they were walking. Looking down, she spoke to them all.

"Kojak-that was that Faunus' name-he said some things that… that I don't really know what to think about them."

"Like?" Weiss probed, nodding for her to continue.

Blake sucked the inside of her cheek, unsure how to answer. "Like… me hiding what I am."

Weiss' eyes widened, while Yang frowned. Ruby looked back, her brow crunched in thought. "He doesn't like that you hide your ears?"

Blake shook her head. "He thinks that by hiding, I'm insulting Faunus as a whole."

Yang scoffed. "And his response is to try and out you in front of the whole school? Screw him."

Weiss nodded in agreement, rubbing the back of Blake's hand with her thumb. "He had no right to do that."

Blake's gaze flicked to Weiss, then Yang. "But…" _What if he's right?_

Ruby frowned as she felt Blake's worry. "But what?"

Blake met her eyes, her mouth opening slightly to respond, but stopped, swallowing her words. Kojak's words swirled in her head, contrasting against every choice she'd made to keep herself hidden. After a moment of thought, she quietly said, "I… need to think for a while."

She could feel they're dissatisfaction with her words, but also a healthy dose of respect, which made her smile slightly. Even before Yang spoke, she could tell that they wouldn't push.

"Take as long as you need, Blake," The blonde said with a smile, patting her on the back. "Just remember that we _are_ here to listen if you want to talk."

Blake rolled her eyes a little at her half-joking, half-admonishing tone. "I know, Yang. And… I will. Just give me some time." She finished softly.

The only response was another squeeze of her hand, and a sense of warm assurance from all around her.

The chatter turned to random topics as they trekked through the school, ranging from team tactics to future movie night ideas. Once they entered the room, however, the group fell strangely silent. Blake didn't notice at first, slipping her hand out of Weiss' as she moved to her bedside table, setting down her new books. When she heard the door click behind her, she reached up and pulled off her bow, her cat ears twitching freely in the open air. "So, what do you guys want to do tonight…"

She trailed off when she turned around seeing the rest of her team still standing by the door. Ruby was shifting her weight from foot to foot, looking antsier than usual. Weiss was gripping her left arm with her right, looking at the carpet. Yang scratched at her cheek, eyes focusing on nothing in particular.

Blake felt a sense of dread creep up on her as she felt the nervousness coming off the three of them. "Girls…" She droned warily. "What's wrong?"

Three sets of eyes snapped to hers, then turned toward each other, as if asking each other a silent question.

Ruby was the first to respond, meeting Blake's amber eyes with her soft grey ones. "Nothing's wrong, Blake. We just… have something to tell you."

"O-kay?" Blake said in a not-quite question.

Weiss decided to take the initiative. "Blake, as I'm sure you're well aware, our Marks are going to fade away tomorrow."

Blake felt her heart plummet in realization. The moment the words were out of Weiss' mouth, she knew exactly what this conversation was about. _Oh no… no, not this…_

Yang swallowed down her nerves, folding her arms. "The three of us have been talking and… we came to a decision."

Blake felt cold. _They don't want to do it._ She thought in sorrow. _They don't want to be my Mates…_

"Blake, the last week has been… amazing," Weiss said as she struggled to find a better word.

Blake barely heard her, her mind racing. _Did… did I do something wrong? Is there something they felt about me they don't like? Why-_

Strong hands snapped her out of her thoughts as they clapped over her shoulders. Her eyes focused on the lavender ones in front of her.

"Hey," Yang said gently, her lips curved up in a half-smile. "How about you hear us out before you write us off?"

Blake blinked, not quite sure she heard the blonde right. Her eyes slowly panned over, showing Ruby standing right next to her sister, looking concerned but also smiling slightly.

Weiss looked at the ground, thinking. _I knew we should have planned out what to say. How can I convince her that we…_ Her thoughts trailed off as an idea hit her. Her cheeks tinted. _No, that's something Ruby or Yang would do. I couldn't…_ She looked back at Blake, and saw the confused, lost look on her face. She felt her heart twist. _Maybe..._

Blake looked between Ruby and Yang, not understanding. "What do you mean?" Aren't you three…?"

Ruby frowned. "We barely started talking. Why'd you get so scared all of a sudden?"

Yang started to ask her own question, when she felt Weiss' hand on her arm. The blonde turned to her, briefly meeting the heiress' eyes. Seeing the red in Weiss' cheeks and the look in her eyes. Yang removed her hands from Blake's shoulders and let herself be pushed aside.

Blake's attention was pulled to Weiss as the heiress stood right in front of her, her confusion mounting. Weiss stared at her, an odd expression on her face.

"Weiss?" Blake asked. "What-?"

She was cut off when Weiss suddenly surged forward, cupping both hands under Blake's chin. Amber eyes widened in surprise, then slowly slid shut as her lips melded with the shorter girl's.

To their sides, Ruby and Yang were stunned for a moment, then smiled. They both shared a look, holding a conversation with their eyes that neither had trouble understanding as they waited for their girlfriends to finish.

After a few seconds, Weiss pulled away from Blake, her head dipping down as she let her arms fall to her sides. Blake opened her eyes, looking down at Weiss, unsure what to feel.

"Blake," Weiss swallowed as she tried to speak. When nothing came out, she huffed to herself. "I want to say it… but I just can't get the words out."

Blake tilted her head slightly, confused. "Say what, Weiss?"

Very slowly, Weiss lifted her head. She bit her lip as she met Blake's eyes. "I…" She breathed in deeply. "I…" She could feel her throat close up, stopping the words before they left her mouth.

 _Come on… I know how I feel… why is it so hard to say out loud? I just want to tell her…_

A soft hand fell on her left shoulder. She turned to find Ruby, her gigawatt smile firmly in place. She nodded in encouragement. A heavier hand suddenly fell on her right, and a quick turn showed Yang doing the same. "Go ahead, Weiss. Tell her what we're all thinking."

Weiss held her gaze. Confidence and reassurance washed over her from the sisters, as well as their own unmistakable feelings towards her and Blake. Taking a few deep breaths, she steeled herself. She glanced back at Ruby, seeing the leader's grey eyes sparkle. She nodded, as much to herself as to the two girls beside her.

She focused back on Blake, the poor Faunus looking utterly lost at how her team was acting. The confusion and uneasiness was rolling off her in waves, and it made Weiss feel like her soul ached.

Hesitantly, she reached out and grasped Blake's wrists, the Faunus letting her pull her arms closer. Weiss shifted her grip, holding Blake's hands in her own. With Ruby and Yang's hands on her shoulders, she met Blake's eyes.

"I love you."

Blake gasped. Weiss swallowed, just as surprised that the words she'd struggled so hard to say had suddenly slipped out so easily. Her lips curved up. "I love you, Blake," She repeated, her confidence growing. Her eyes flicked to the beaming girls at her sides. " _We_ love you. And… if you'll allow us… we'd like to become your Mates."

Blake… stopped. Her movements, her breathing; the only indication that she still functioned was her eyes widening. Her golden eyes stared into warm pools of blue in absolute shock. Her mouth slowly fell open, suddenly dry. Slowly, almost shakely, she turned her head left, then right, meeting the eyes or Yang and Ruby. Both just smiled back, nervousness palpable, but with no trace of hesitance.

"Re...Really?" She finally rasped out, unable to keep the disbelief out of her voice. She could feel something building in her chest, something hopeful and fragile. "You…" She took a shuddering breath. "You're serious?"

Ruby reached out with her other hand, placing it on Blake's shoulder. "Yes, Blake. We want to stay Mated to you."

Yang did the same, completing the circuit. She grinned a softer version of her usual half-smile. "Sorry, Blake. Looks like you're stuck with us."

It took a moment for reality to sink in. Blake wasn't sure what exactly happened, only that she took a deep, rapid breath, and suddenly her vision turned blurry. She blinked rapidly, but that just made twin trails of wetness run down her cheeks.

Cool fingers cupped her cheek, Weiss rubbing away her tears with her thumb. "Blake, what's wrong? I… I thought you'd be happy."

Blake couldn't help it. A breathless laugh, little more than a choked weeze, burst past her lips. "Weiss, I…" With a shuddering breath, Blake flung her free arm around Weiss' shoulders, startling the heiress. Squeezing her eyes shut in a pointless attempt to stop the flow of tears, Blake held onto Weiss as tightly as she could. She was smiling so hard it hurt.

"Thank you." She whispered shakily, not just to the girl she embraced, but also to the two beside her. "Thank you all."

Weiss stood frozen for a moment, surprised by Blake's actions, but the moment she heard Blake's words, her expression softened. Wordlessly, Weiss released Blake's hand and drew her arms around the taller girl. Soon after, Ruby and Yang wrapped their arms around the two girls, pressing close, holding them until Blake ran out of tears.

* * *

"So, why'd you have us change into our PJ's?"

Blake wrung her hands nervously as she looked at Yang. It had taken almost ten minutes for Blake to calm down enough to speak normally, and since then, she'd had each of her teammates change into their sleep clothes. They'd been understandably confused (the sun had only just set), but she simply said that she'd explain once they were done dressing. She herself had changed into her sleep robe, careful to pull it up tight around her neck. The four of them sat across from each other, Blake and Yang on the Faunus' bed, Ruby and Weiss on the heiress'.

Blake smiled nervously, her red-rimmed eyes still stinging slightly. "Well, after we advance your Marks, the changes to your aura will likely be very taxing to your bodies. There's a good chance you won't have any energy afterwards."

Weiss, who'd been absently brushing out the wrinkles in her nightgown, looked up at her in surprise. "Really? I didn't get that impression from my reading."

"Most books only refer to a standard Mating between two individuals. Two people mixing just their two auras wouldn't be all that taxing, just maybe tiring the two for a short while. But the way we'll be doing it, each of you will have three different auras combining with your own. Four auras combining within one body, even if three of those auras are just slivers of the whole; it will take time for your bodies to adjust."

Weiss nodded, finding Blake's answer reasonable. Ruby, however, still looked thoughtful. "So… how exactly do we do this?"

Blake smiled at her, placing her hands on her knees. "It… should be relatively simple. What I'm going to do is place my hand over each of your Marks, and push more of my aura into them. When I do, the other two of you will need to put your hands on my arm, and push your aura into it. I'll act like… a conduit, I guess. Like, Ruby, when I do this with you, Yang and Weiss will push their aura into my arm, and as I'm adding more of my aura to your Mark, their aura will be transferred with it. Make sense?"

Ruby hummed, wondering exactly what having their aura enter her will feel like. "I guess… but…" She drowned thinking.

"What?" Blake asked, her ears dipping a bit in worry.

Ruby met Blake's concern with her own, her grey eyes soft. "What about you?"

Blake bristled a little, then sighed, a melancholy smile on her lips. "I don't have a Mark, Ruby, remember? It's fine, I promise. I'm content with what I'll have."

Ruby stared at her for a long moment. Her gaze shifted to Weiss, the girl beside her fidgeting a little under her gaze. "Weiss?"

Weiss held her gaze, her eyes briefly flicking towards Blake. With a determined look, she nodded. "Right."

Blake looked between the two, watching as Weiss reached behind her and retrieved a book. "Um… what are you two doing?"

A warm hand landed on her shoulder. Yang grinned as Blake turned to her. "Our resident brainiac has an idea."

Weiss gave Yang a brief annoyed glance, then opened the book, flipping to the right page. "Blake, you read this book all the way through, correct?"

Perplexed by this strange turn in the conversation, Blake glanced at the books cover and nodded. "Yes, I did."

Weiss nodded in confirmation. "Do you remember the story called _'All Bark and Unable To Bite'_?"

Blake blinked, then thought. She'd read a lot of Mate related books in the past week, so pinning down a single tale from one of them was a little difficult. "Um… I think so. It was about at a wolf Faunus that had his jaw wired shut, right? He couldn't bite his Mate, so he had a friend do it in his place, and pushed his aura into the Mark before it could fade."

"Right," Weiss said with a smile. "Well, after reading it, I had the idea… what if we did that with you?"

Blake blinked. "Do… what exactly?"

Weiss closed the book, giving Blake a considering look. "What if you gave you our aura through a Mark given to you by someone else?"

Blake's eyes widened. "I… never really thought about trying that. I'm not sure if your aura would react properly, though, with you all being human."

To her surprise, Ruby shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Aura is aura. Whether it comes from a human or a Faunus, all aura acts the same."

Yang chuckled a little, looking impressed. "Look at you being all smart, sis. Guess all that studying with Weiss is paying off."

Ruby smiled brightly, while Weiss straightened a bit where she sat, looking prideful. "Yes, well, Ruby is correct. There is nothing different between Faunus and human aura, not scientifically. We lack the ability to create a Mark from nothing, but I don't see why our aura wouldn't react the proper way when added to one that already exists, just was created by a Faunus previously."

Blake's brow furrowed. "Created previously…" I took a moment for her to grasp what Weiss was suggesting. When she did, her hand flew to her left shoulder as she stared at the heiress with wide eyes. "My old Mark…"

Weiss nodded, her expression becoming more serious. "Exactly. I think… if you'll let us, Blake… I think we could transfer our aura into your old Mark, and make it our own." Her blue eyes softened. "It's your choice, though."

Blake swallowed. What Weiss was suggesting seemed… impossible. Not only because she'd never heard of a human attempting such a thing, let alone three, but because, if they tried this and it worked, her old Mark, at least as it existed now, would be gone.

She trailed her fingers over the Mark. Even through her robe, she could feel it, the raised edges of large teeth marks. She remembered the day she got it, and how everything changed immediately after. How she thought, how she acted; how she saw the White Fang… how she saw _him_ …

Her hand slowly closed over the dead Mark, clutching a fistful of her robe. She'd told Yang before that it didn't hurt her, that all it did was bring back bad memories. That wasn't quite true. Along with the memories came regrets, questions, the 'what-if's. Everytime she saw that Mark in the mirror, even before it had reappeared fully and was just a small, almost invisible scar, everything came back: all her bad memories, and everything that came with them.

The idea that it could be gone… not just gone, but _replaced_ , with something better, something purer… It was too good to be true.

And… there was that one little part of her, that small, embarrassing little part that she was ashamed still existed, that asked, "do I really want it gone?" For all the bad memories and pain it dredged up, that Mark was still a part of her, a part of _him_. A piece of her past, of who and what she was. Did she really want to just… get rid of it?

She felt concern and worry wash over her, reminding her that all of her conflicting feelings were being projected to the girls around her. She raised her head, meeting their troubled stares. She gulped. "I… I don't know…"

The frowns she received made their disappointment known even before she felt it from them, adding a new layer of guilt on top of everything. These girls meant so much to her, and they were trying so hard to help her. She cursed her own uncertainties, wishing not for the first time that all her problems could be solved with a simple 'yes' or 'no'.

Suddenly, a snapping sound split the air. All eyes turned to Yang, whose fingers were hand was still in the air as she smiled triumphantly. "I've got an idea. What if we only gave her a first stage Mark?"

Weiss blinked. "What do you mean?"

Yang's smile widened as she gestured animatedly as she spoke. "Well, instead of trying to give her a Stage Two Mark right of the bat, y'know, to put her on par with us, what if we try and give Blake a First Stage Mark like the ones we have now? Just to see if it would work that far?"

Weiss hummed, her brow furrowing. "The book didn't cover trying that. In the story, they seemed to jump straight to a finished Mark, skipping the initial stage. But… I don't see why we _couldn't_." She lifted her eyes, turning her attention to Blake. "What do you think, Blake?"

Blake considered it. The idea still seemed impossible, but… She looked at her team, her friends, the three girls that were willing to take what they had now and make it… more. She met Yang's lavender eyes, the blonde smiling back. She saw Weiss, visibly nervous, but with her features still soft and accepting. And Ruby, that ever present sparkle dancing in her eyes, grinning away as she waited for an answer.

Blake let out a slow breath. Hesitantly, she reached up and grasped the collar of her robe. She pulled it back just enough to show her empty Mark. She tilted her head to the side, giving them all a clear view of it. She met Weiss' eyes.

Weiss' mouth parted slightly in surprise as she laid eyes on the old Mark. She bit her lip. "You're absolutely sure?"

Blake gave a firm nod, mustering up as much courage as she could. She allowed herself a little spark of hope as she thought about what they were attempting.

Weiss nodded back. She got up off her bed and walked across the room, Ruby right behind her. Weiss started to reach out her arm towards Blake's Mark, but stopped. "Um… how exactly do we do this?"

Blake took another calming breath. "Just… put your hand over the Mark."

Weiss did so, kneeling down as she carefully put her fingertips on the edge of the Mark. Blake tensed slightly when she felt Weiss' cool touch on her skin, but relaxed soon after. "Okay, now Yang, Ruby, put your hands on Weiss arm. Try to keep them even, like a mirror image."

Ruby and Yang nodded, Yang gulping a little as she did. Even though this was her idea, actually doing it seemed… intimate. Like there was some line she didn't know was there, and now she was choosing to cross it. Still, she didn't hesitate, putting her hand on the right side of Weiss forearm, feeling the contrast between the heiress' cool skin and her own warmer than normal temperature. Ruby put her hand across from her's, and Yang had to hold in a snort. She got what Blake had meant, but seeing her large hand across from Ruby's comparably petite one was hardly a 'mirror image'.

Weiss fought down an ever growing blush, ignoring the thrill that ran up her arm as both girls laid their hands on her. All three focused on Blake, waiting for instructions.

Blake struggled against her ever-growing nerves. "Okay, now, Ruby and Yang, you need to push your aura into Weiss' arm. Move your aura like you would to heal your fingers. Weiss, focus on where the tips of their fingers are and flare your aura."

Weiss did as she said. Her arm glowed slightly with white light as she felt her aura move and shift. She held in a gasp when she suddenly felt a burst of heat from Yang's fingertips. Almost immediately after, a tingling sensation came from where Ruby and laid her hand.

The three watched, awestruck, as the white glow around Weiss arm flickered, flecks of yellow and red peppering the light. Weiss's arm started to tremble, feeling like she'd been injected with fire and lightning, so unlike the frigid sensation of her own aura.

"What… what do I do now?" Weiss murmured, transfixed by the aura dancing across her skin.

Blake stared at Weiss' arm, at the three auras gathered within it. _This is it. This might be…_ "Do what they did. Push your aura into the Mark. If it works… the rest should take care of itself."

Weiss nodded slightly, focusing. It was odd an odd feeling, like ice water, a raging fire, and a bolt of electricity all at once, combined yet separate, flowing up her arm. Ruby and Yang watched in anticipation as the glow around Weiss arm moved, condensing in her hand, then to her fingertips. There was a slight flicker over the teeth marks on Blake's skin, and then it was gone.

Feeling the sensation leave, Weiss slowly removed her hand, Ruby and Yang pulling away as she did. "Did it work?" Ruby asked, staring at the old Mark for any change.

Blake brought her head back to a normal position, her brow furrowed. "I… don't know. I felt something for a moment, but…

Her words died in her throat with a choked gasp. A blizzard; and inferno; a lightning strike; all at once, like the world's most impossible storm. The feeling surged through her body, hot and cold, slow and accelerated, before converging back on her shoulder. She craned her neck so she could see what was happening.

They all watched, mesmerized, as the skin within the bite changed. A multicolored glow of red, white, and yellow shined and swirled, before slowly settling. The glow died, and in the center of the bite was a cloud of red, white and yellow, the three colors swirled around each other like a pinwheel.

Blake stopped breathing. She had only a moment to process what she was seeing before she _felt_. Ruby wasn't just happy; She was excited, joyful, awed, proud. Yang was more then surprised, she was shocked, elated, amazed. And Weiss… not just stunned. Disbelieving, then excited, ecstatic, proud, still worried, but happy, hopeful.

Everything felt so _clear_. Like there had been a filter, a window between her and the three of them, and it had not just been opened, it was _shattered_.

 _I have a Mark_. Blake's vision blurred again, an unrestrained smile spreading across her lips. _A real Mark. They did it. And… if they can take the first step…_

"Oh, come on, Blakey, not the waterworks again." Despite her words, Yang's tone was anything but reprimanding. The blonde leaned over and pulled the Faunus into a one-armed hug, smiling wider than ever before.

Blake couldn't help but laugh, wiping the tears out of her eyes. "Sorry, just… this shouldn't be possible."

Ruby beamed, giggling. "I guess we just made history," Then her expression turned thoughtful. "So… what do we do now?"

Weiss turned to Ruby, feeling her heart jump a little. "Well… I suppose we should go ahead and advance our Marks… right?"

Yang nodded. "No time like the present. What do ya say, Blake?" She finished, looking to the Faunus.

Blake met her gaze, still marveling at how clear everything was now. She felt Weiss' hesitance, but now she could pick up the underlying feelings behind it, the excitement and thrill just below the surface. She could feel the sizeable amount of nervousness Yang and Ruby had each hidden down, swamped beneath their own feelings of happiness.

One thing was clear, though: despite the worry, the nervousness and hesitance all three of them were feeling, it didn't change their overwhelming feeling of want. They _wanted_ this. They wanted to become her Mates, to be Mated to each other. They wanted her, not as a possession or a prize, but as herself. They loved her.

Blake decided.

"If you're all ready." She said to them. She received firm nods in answer. "Okay, then. It'd be easiest if we were all even with each other."

The simplest solution, they found, was to all sit across from each other on Blake's bed. Blake sat with her back against the wall across from Weiss, while Ruby sat across from Yang.

"So… who goes first?" Yang asked, the hesitance in her voice unmistakable. No one blamed her. The tone in the room had grown serious, the gravity of what they were about to do finally seeming to sink in. A few seconds tick by each of them waiting for the others to speak.

"I'll do it."

All eyes turned towards Ruby. The leader fidgeted a little under their stares, but she kept her face neutral.

Blake took a moment to meet Yang and Weiss eyes. Both of them looked back nervously, but nodded to her just the same. With their confirmation, Blake turned to Ruby, carefully laying her hand over the smaller girl's shoulder. "Okay, Ruby. You're going to have to flare your aura, and keep flaring it until we've all gone through the process. Got it?"

Ruby nodded, determination in her eyes. Her brow scrunched a little as she focused. Her whole body started to glow faintly with a light-red light. She gave Blake a look, silently asking if she'd done it correctly.

Blake nodded an affirmative, then looked towards the other two, bobbing her head slightly. They got the message, gingerly placing their hands on her arm. "Channel your aura into my arm like before. I'll tell you when to stop."

They nodded, and Blake could feel the change. Where their skin met hers, she could feel a cold chill and a raging blaze. She took just a moment to adjust to the feeling, then started pushing her own aura down her arm. The warmth and cold flowed with it, like small streams joining a rushing river.

Ruby sucked in a breath, tensing slightly. Blake watched her Mark carefully, waiting for it to change. Slowly she saw the black mark start to glow violet. After a few seconds, yellow and white joined the glow and, surprisingly, red bled into the mix. The glow raised in intensity for a few seconds, before seeming to stop after a certain point

"Stop," Blake said. Weiss and Yang did as she said, and she could feel the flow of aura from them cut off as they removed their hands. The three stared at Ruby for a moment, but, aside from her red glow and the multicolored glow of the Mark, nothing seemed to have changed.

"You okay, Ruby?" Yang asked after a few seconds of anxious waiting.

Ruby looked down at herself, then shrugged. "I think so."

"How do you feel?" Blake asked, a little concerned.

Ruby thought for a moment, looking slightly unsure. "Hot… and cold. Calm, but… kinda tingly."

Yang raised a sceptic eyebrow. "That's... wierd."

Ruby shrugged. "It feels weird," she agreed.

Weiss looked between the two, then focused on Blake. "Is this… normal?" She asked awkwardly.

Blake nodded slowly after a few seconds of thought. "Since we're doing this one at a time, the aura has to stay in flux, which is why Ruby's keeping her aura flared. Once we've all done the same, and stopped flaring our aura, that's when the Marks will finish advancing."

Weiss accepted her answer, glancing back at Ruby. The leader just looked back at her, a little confused, but seemingly unaffected.

"Okay," Yang said, swallowing down her nerves. "Guess I'm next." With a few seconds focus, a yellow glow surrounded her. Surprisingly, her hair seemed to have it's own glow, and her eyes turned red.

Blake repeated what she'd done with Ruby, said girl placing her hand alongside Weiss'. Yang tensed as Ruby had when she felt their aura enter her, but relaxed quickly after. When her Mark glowed and they removed her hands, she rolled her shoulders.

"Whoa… yeah, I see what ya mean, Ruby. Weird." She turned to Weiss, a half-smile on her lips. "Ready, Weiss?"

Weiss stiffened a little, but then took a calming breath. She tilted her head to the side, meeting each of their eyes as she glowed white.

Blake put her hand over Weiss' Mark, then glanced between the sisters. "Okay, Yang, Ruby, remember what I said about you two making a siblings pact?" They nodded. "Good. All you have to do is push your aura into my arm at the exact same time, and focus on the bond you two have as you do. Got it?"

Ruby nodded. "Yep. Ready, Yang?" She asked, meeting her sister's still red eyes.

Yang grinned. "As I'll ever be, Little Sis. On three?" She asked as she placed her hand on Blake's arm.

Ruby did the same. "On three. One… two… three!"

Heat surged into Blake's arm, red and yellow dancing within the black aura around her arm. She felt a small shudder, like two forces colliding. The feeling faded quickly, and Blake started pushing the aura down her arm. Just as Ruby and Yang had, Weiss stiffened slightly as her Mark slowly started to glow.

Weiss took a shuddering breath as they released her. She let it out slowly, then smiled. She met Blake's eyes. "Your turn, Blake."

Blake couldn't help the uncertainty she felt. That shameful little part of her was screaming now, telling her of all the ways it could go wrong, how it wouldn't work. Then she looked at her team, each one glowing in their auras color, their Marks shining. They looked back at her, happiness and hope in their eyes. Blake smiled.

She closed her eyes. She gently put her hand over her Mark, running her fingers over the teeth marks. She almost felt like she was saying goodbye.

Blake glowed, a deep purple hue surrounding her as she opened her eyes. She tilted her to the side, and felt Weiss cool touch. Ruby gave another quick count of "One, two, three!", and Blake felt their aura flow into her, hot and cold and energized. The flow ended soon enough, and Blake could feel a tingle run through her skin where her Mark was. The three girls pulled their hands back, looking at Blake expectedly.

"Now what?" Yang asked.

"Now, we stop flaring our aura, and wait."

Yang grimaced slightly, and Blake couldn't blame her. She wished just as much as the rest of them that she had a little more control during this part, but that was the nature of Mating. With a look to Weiss and Ruby, Blake stopped flaring her aura, her violet glow fading. The others followed suit, the light of their Marks dieing as the glow ended, Yang's eyes fading from red back to lavender.

A second passed. Then five. Then thirty.

Blake felt a nasty chill in the pit of her stomach. _Did we do it wrong? We couldn't have, this is the only way we could have done it. Why…?_

"Hey, I think something's happening!"

Ruby's excited yell drew their attention, looking at the young leader as she craned her neck to look at her Mark. Sure enough, her Mark was glowing again, brighter. As if in answer, Blake felt her own Mark warm and cool, seeing the same things happen on Weiss and Yang.

Blake kept her eyes glued to Weiss shoulder, unable to look away. Within seconds, the teeth marks that had been on Weiss skin all week healed, the raised edges fading into her skin until there was nothing left. The aura swirled and twisted, narrowing in places and collecting in others. Soon, four spots of differing color formed a vague shape, a single violet circle surrounded by three circles of red, white, and yellow.

"A triangle?" Weiss thought aloud, staring at Yang's Mark.

Yang nodded absently, looking across at Ruby. "Looks like it… okay, that's different."

To all of their surprise, the white circle at the top of the apparent triangle shimmered, then darkened. Slowly, the white color changed, going from stark white to a deep blue, a few shades darker then Weiss' eyes.

"What…?" Weiss questioned, her brow furrowed. Before she could say anything else, the four circles started to shift, morphing and stretching into something else. After a few seconds, they started to form shapes.

Blake's eyes widened.

Very familiar shapes.

"No way." Ruby said softly, a grin spreading across her face.

From the shapes, lines stretched out, reaching out towards each other. Each line connected, save the two across the bottom, which broke off and seemed to twist around each other, forming a shape all its own.

As quickly as it started, the glow stopped. Once the lights died down, they could all see their Marks clearly.

It was their symbols. Ruby's rose, Weiss' snowflake, and Yang's flame formed the points of a loose triangle, Blake's flower sitting in the center. Oddly, rather than the white of Weiss' aura, the snowflake was a warm blue. Lines of color stretched out from the symbols, each forming a connection between the symbols, save for Ruby and Yang's. Between the rose and the flame sat two small arcs connected at their center, each side a color of the symbol closest to it.

Blake couldn't look away from the Mark on Weiss shoulder. For that's what it was, a true Mate's Mark. "It worked." She said breathlessly.

Yang chuckled in slight disbelief, looking at her Mark in appraisal. "Yeah, i-it did." She laughed a little harder. "A bit on the nose, isn't it?"

"I like it." Ruby said happily, beaming at her Mark.

Weiss carefully ran her finger over her Mark, as if making sure it was real. Her lips quirked up in a small smile. "It's… rather fitting, I think."

At their words, Blake laughed. Looking at her shoulder, she stared at her own Mark. It was impossible, unimaginable… yet there it was. They had Marked each other.

They were Mates.

Blake giggled, a bubble of joy forming in her chest. She pushed herself up, ready to throw her arms around whoever was closest...

And immediately felt her arms fall in exhaustion.

Ruby suddenly let out a huge yawn. "Wha… What's going on…?" She asked tiredly, blinking rapidly.

Blake shook her head, her eyes suddenly feeling heavy. "It's… it's our aura. Making our Marks used up all… all of our energy."

"No kidding, Blake." Yang muttered as she stifled a yawn. "I feel like I went ten rounds with… well, me." She laughed a little at her own joke, before yawning again.

Weiss blinked rapidly, clenching her jaw. "We should… _*yawn*_... we should probably go too…"

 _Whump!_

Three tired heads turned towards the soft thump from the head of the bed. Ruby had fallen backwards, her head laying on Blake's pillow, her eyes shut. A soft snore passed her lips.

Yang let out a soft laugh. "I think Ruby has the right idea. You… you mind Blake?"

Blake blinked at her, then smiled. "No, it's… it's fine."

Yang grinned back. "Cool. Weiss, lie down."

"Wha-?" Before Weiss could question her, Yang gave the heiress a small shove. Surprised, Weiss fell beside Ruby. Yang sluggishly crawled across the bed, and to Weiss surprise, laid down behind her and wrapped her arms around the smaller girls waist, pulling her close. Weiss gave a small squeak of surprise, her face burning, but another yawn stopped her thinking. Deciding that Blake's bed was suddenly very comfy and she like the feeling of Yang's warmth behind her, Weiss settled for freaking out latter, pressing back against to blonde. Yang smiled sleepily as her eyes slid shut. Weiss soon followed, holding her hands against her chest.

Blake looked down at them in surprise. A warm smile spread across her lips as she felt her shoulders sag. With a small grunt of effort, she lied down at Ruby's side, curling up. As if sensing what Blake wanted to do, Ruby rolled over in her sleep, facing Weiss and Yang. Glad, Blake laid her arm across Ruby, her hand falling over the small girls'.

Before she let sleep take her, Blake took a long look at her sleeping Mates. Her eyes focused on the fresh Mark on Weiss' neck. She smiled. Laying her head down, Blake buried her face in Ruby's hair, purring as she drifted off.

There would be questions in the morning, worries that still needed to be addressed. But for right now, Team RWBY found peace in slumber, the shattered moon shining on them as they laid together.

 **End of Act I**

* * *

 **A/n: Well, we finally made it. I really hope it lives up to what everyone was waiting for. In case you didn't notice, you can see the Mate's Mark up top as the cover image. If you want to see a large view of the Pollination Mark, head over to my deviantart page, TheLastOmegaMan.**

 **No if you'll all excuse me, there's a whole new generation of Pokemon with my name on it!**

… **hey, don't judge me!**

 **See you next chapter! ^_^**


	24. Act II: Chapter 24: A New Day

**Act II**

 **Fights, Plights...**

 **Chapter 24: A New Day**

Blake groaned. She blinked sleepily, turning her head to get away from the evil sunlight glaring down at her. She buried her head into her pillow, breathing in the scent of roses and sugar.

 _...wait. Since when does my pillow smell like…?_

Blake's opened her eyes, squinting against the harsh glare coming from the window. Throwing up a hand to block the light, she lifted her head from her pillow, looking closely at what she'd been cuddling against. A smile spread across her lips.

At some point in the night, Ruby had rolled over to face Blake. Her head was tucked into Blake's neck, her arms brought up against her chest. The leader let out a small sound of discontent at the loss of Blake's warmth, shifting closer to the Faunus in her sleep.

Blake laughed softly, wrapping her arm back over the smaller girl. She put her head back on top of Ruby's, the leader letting out a happy sigh as she did so.

"Blake?"

The Faunus blinked at the soft whisper. She looked over Ruby's head, towards the two other bodies laying in her bed. She smiled softly at the sight.

Yang had her arms wrapped protectively around Weiss' chest, one of the blonde's hands pressing against the heiress' stomach. Somehow she'd intertwined their legs, Yang's right leg wrapped around Weiss' left. A soft snore passed her lips, proving the brawler to still be asleep, a peaceful expression on her face.

Instead, Blake focused Weiss' face, her grin widening at her reddening face as blue eyes met amber. "Comfortable, Weiss?"

Weiss glared pitifully, her blush darkening a shade. "Very funny." Despite her words, she lifted one of her hands away from her chest, laying it over the one Yang hand on her stomach. A small smile formed on her lips. "I've felt worse." She admitted.

"Mm-hmm." Blake hummed, giggling a little. Her smile lessened a bit as a thought hit her. "Seriously though, do you feel okay?"

Weiss frowned at her, looking confused. Then, to Blake's surprise, she smiled softly. "Blake, have you checked the Link yet?"

Blake's brow lowered, confused herself. "No… why?"

In response, Weiss moved her hand from Yang's, reaching across to the arm Blake had draped over Ruby. She gripped Blake's hand, intertwining their fingers. With an encouraging smile, she said, "Check it."

Still confused, Blake did as she was told. She took one last look into Weiss crystal blue eyes, the closed her own. She gave her aura the tiniest push outward-

Her breath left her.

"Oh… oh, wow…"

It was so… clear. It was still a black void, nothing to see save the auras around her, but… the auras had… changed. There were no more formless clouds of aura were each of her Mates were. Now, the auras had taken shape. _Human_ shape.

Laying across from her were two wispy bodies, one a muted yellow, the other shining white. She could clearly see where Yang's arms wrapped around Weiss, the dull yellow separated from the white by a near non-existent space. Very faint trails of aura came from their heads, vaguely forming the shape of their hair.

Most shocking were the eyes. Not literal eyes, of course, but on the head of Weiss' aura were two spots of crystal blue, looking right at her. They suddenly shrunk and disappeared for a fraction of a second, before reappearing.

 _She blinked_ , Blake realized.

But, no matter how amazing it looked, all that came secondary to what she _felt_.

She didn't have to focus anymore. Just a quick look, a single glance at their aura, and Blake could feel exactly what they were feeling. Even in their sleep, Yang and Ruby both felt happy, content, with random flashes of other positive emotions spiking as they dreamed. And Weiss… happy, content, amazed, awed, proud…

Blake's eyes slowly slid open. She met Weiss' gaze, smiling.

Weiss smiled back, before letting out a soft sigh. "So… what now?"

Blake frowned slightly, giving Weiss hand a squeeze. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing, it's just…" Weiss sighed again. "How is this going to work? All four of us, romantically involved? Do we try to keep it a secret, or… just be open about it?"

Blake sucked in a slow breath. She knew this question was coming, but she didn't have any idea how to answer it. "Do you want to keep it a secret, Weiss?" She finally asked, hesitantly.

Weiss bit her lip nervously. "I… I don't know. I… I want to happy about this. I _am_ happy about this," she clarified, chiding herself. "I don't want to keep this a secret, but…"

"But…?" Blake questioned.

Weiss swallowed. Her eyes briefly left Blake's as she moved her free hand, placing it over the one Yang had pressed against her stomach. After a moment, she said, "There's no way for me to say it without sounding… vain."

Blake's chuckle drew her attention. "Say what you mean, Weiss. I'll know how you really feel." She tapped a finger against her temple for emphasis.

Weiss smiled briefly at the reminder, then let out a small huff. "I'm just worried that… what will everyone think of this? Of us?" When she saw the brief flash of surprise on Blake's face, she quickly clarified. "I'm not ashamed of what we've done! Being Mated feels… amazing. Being this close to you all… knowing what you feel, both for me and for each other… I've never been this… _open_ with anyone before." A wide grin had spread over her face as she spoke. "It's an amazing feeling, something beautiful." Her face quickly fell. "I'm just worried that… other people won't see it that way."

Blake hummed in thought. She wanted to say something to make Weiss feel better, to ease her worries, but nothing came to mind.

"Forget'em."

Blake and Weiss started at the sudden voice, their hands slipping apart. They both looked up as Yang inhaled deeply, her lavender eyes sleepily fluttering open. A lazy grin spread over her face. "Morning." She murmured.

Weiss craned her neck to try and look at Yang's face. "Did we wake you, Yang? Sorry."

Yang gave a soft laugh, silencing Weiss by squeezing her gently around the waist. She rested her chin on top of Weiss' head. "S'okay. There's worse ways to wake up. Anyways, like I said, if people want to see what they want to see, screw'em. We know what's going on."

Weiss huffed in annoyance even as she pressed her back closer to Yang's chest. "I wish it were that simple, Yang. When… certain people... find out that we're Mates…"

Yang snorted. "By certain people, I'm going to take a wild guess and say you mean your dad, right?"

Weiss stiffened in Yang's arms. After a tense moment, she sighed, melancholy rolling off of her in waves. "Yes. Any one part of our relationship he would take issue with. Me being with a girl, being with a Faunus, being with more than one person; all of it together… he might _actually_ disown me."

Blake's eyes widened. "It wouldn't be _that_ bad… would it?"

Weiss shook her head minutely. "When my sister joined the Atlassian military, rather than work for the company, he cut her off from the family fortune. That was years ago."

Yang winced. "Ouch." Then she blinked, looking down at the top of Weiss' head. "Wait a sec… you have a sister?"

Weiss lifted her head, meeting Yang's confused stare with her own. "You didn't know that?"

Yang shook her head. "No. Why would I? You haven't said much about your family… though, now that I think about it, I haven't really asked before. My bad." She shrugged her shoulders sheepishly.

Weiss frowned. "My family is the most well known in the Kingdoms. Our pictures are everywhere. I assumed you knew about them already."

Yang chuckled. "Small town girl from the little island of Patch here, Snowflake. We didn't get much news about the outside world there, and even when we did, I didn't pay much attention to it. Heck, Ruby and I didn't even know who _you_ were until we came here to Beacon. Speaking of which-" Yang lifted her arm and put it on Ruby's shoulder, shaking her little sister. "Hey, Rubes, wake up. Important talk going on here."

Blake glared at the blonde in reprimand, feeling Ruby squirm a little in her arms. "Yang, let her sleep if she wants."

Ruby suddenly let out a large yawn, nuzzling against Blake's chest. The Faunus blushed deeply at the action, warmth filling her chest.

Yang 's eyes narrowed. "Ruby…"

The little leader let out a small groan. "Too early…" She muttered, pressing closer to the blushing girl holding her.

Yang rolled her eyes. "You can snuggle later, Ruby. We're talking about something important right now."

Ruby huffed, a small whine escaping her. She pulled back a bit from Blake, blinking at the Faunus. She smiled at her, before turning over in Blake's arms, facing Yang and Weiss. Her cheeks puffed up in annoyance. "What are we talking about?" She asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Whether or not we want to hide the fact that we're Mates now."

That got Ruby's attention, the small teen fully awake as she lifted her head slightly. "Hide it? Why?"

Yang chuckled a little. "Well, I guess we know your answer. And honestly, I agree. Blake, Weiss?"

Weiss grunted a bit as she shifted, Yang giving her a little more room to move. "I… I'd like not to. I'm just worried about how other people will react. And not just my father, Yang," she added quickly when she felt the blonde's exasperation spike. "Faunus might not find it strange, but… everyone else…"

Blake nodded, understanding. "Same-sex relationships are one thing, but a group relationship? Humans that don't know about Faunus Mating will probably find it… odd, to say the least."

Ruby shrugged. "I'm fine with that."

Yang nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Besides, were Huntresses. It's not like someone could tell us what to do."

"And if someone asks us about our relationship?" Weiss asked equal parts hesitant and curious.

Now Yang shrugged. "We explain it to them. They don't like it, oh well."

Weiss huffed out a laugh, smiling faintly. "That simple, huh?"

Yang nodded, giving Weiss a squeeze. "It's only as hard as you make it, Snowflake. So we get some funny looks, a couple morons run their mouths. We'll deal with it as it comes."

Weiss just hummed in response. Blake smiled at the interaction, before looking between Yang and Ruby. "So… you two really have no problem being public about being Mates?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nope."

Yang did the same. "Not a bit. Heck, I'll scream it from the rooftops if you want. I think Nora has a megaphone I could borrow- Ow!"

Weiss reached up and smacked the side of Yang's head the second the blonde actually started sounding serious. "Don't even think about it. Either of you." She added when she saw Ruby's mouth open.

Ruby stuck out her tongue at the reprimand. "You're no fun."

Surprisingly, Weiss responded by blowing a small raspberry at the sniper, getting a shocked giggle out of Yang and Blake. The heiress then turned her blue eyes upwards. "What about you, Blake? You said most Faunus show their Marks off as something to be proud of, right?"

Blake stiffened at Weiss question, all humor bleeding out of her. She unconsciously pulled Ruby closer to her, making the younger girl look up at her, questioning. "Blake?"

The three humans suddenly felt a barrage of emotion from their Faunus counterpart. _Worry. Sadness. Curiocity. Frustration. Hope. Indecision._

"You're right." She murmured, not looking at any of them. "Faunus are proud of their Marks. I'd love to show mine off, especially with how impossible it was for me to have gotten it. But…" Her ears wilted against her head, almost in shame.

A new feeling came off of Blake, one that made Yang and Weiss frown in concern, not recognizing it. Ruby did though. She might not have ever felt it as she was now, but she recognized the tone of Blake's voice. Blake had hit a point where she was uncomfortable to keep speaking. Had it just been the two of them, Ruby would have given Blake a reassuring smile and moved away from the subject, but Yang and Weiss made it clear that they were waiting for an answer.

Ruby glanced around the room, trying to think of something to take the attention off of Blake. She got it when her eyes landed on the wall clock.

And suddenly helping Blake became a secondary worry.

"Hey, guys?" Ruby asked hesitantly. When all three of her Mates looked to her, she asked. "It's Friday, right?"

Yang blinked, confused by the sudden question. "Yeah. Why?"

"Don't we have classes at eight?"

Now they all blinked. Rolling over, Yang looked behind her at the clock, Weiss doing the same. Blake looked over them to see the time as well.

7:16.

It took less then a second for them all to realize.

"Crap, we overslept!"

Yang released Weiss, scrambling out of the bed and running to her dresser. Weiss was right behind her, franticly looking through the closet for a clean outfit.

Ruby moved to follow them, but before she pulled herself out of Blake's arms, she turned her head to face the Faunus. Blake gave her a thankful smile, hugging her briefly. Ruby smiled back, then leaped out of bed and started hunting for her cloak.

Blake slowly brought herself to sit on the edge of her bed, watching her Mates ( _Yes_ , she thought to herself, _they're actually my Mates_ ) run around the room, trying to get ready for the day. Blake decided to let them all finish first, since it wouldn't take her that long to get ready. She kept all her things nice and organized so she could be ready at a moment's notice. Socks, stockings, and underwear in the dresser's top shelve, skirt in the drawer below it, right next to her jacket, and sitting on her bedside table…

A cold feeling started in Blake's stomach. Her eyes drifted to the side, lingering at the long stretch of fabric. Slowly, she reached over, pulling it into her hands. She held it, staring down in thought.

A simple black bow. That's all it took to fool every human at Beacon, the headmaster notwithstanding. The other Faunus knew what she was, there was no fooling their sense of smell, but none of them seemed to care…

 _Well…_ She thought grimly. _None of them have said anything… until now._

Kojak's words echoed through her head.

Blake shook her head, willing the thought away. This had nothing to do with Kojak. The thought that other Faunus looked down at her for her choice hurt… but they were allowed to think what they wanted. Blake couldn't change that. She'd made what she'd felt was the right choice at the time, and despite her doubts, she stood by her decision.

Except… now things had changed.

Keeping the bow clenched in her left hand, Blake put her right hand on her the space where her shoulder and neck met, fingertips running over her Mark.

The fact that it existed at all was a miracle. To her knowledge, no Faunus had attempted what they had. A human, not just one, but three humans, combining their aura through a dead Mark from a failed Mating? She couldn't believe it worked. It _shouldn't_ have worked. What they had done went against everything she'd read, everything she'd known about Mating. And yet, there it was, their four symbols combined on her skin, each one connected to each other in a blaze of color. It capsulated their bond perfectly.

And Blake wanted people to see it. She could feel it, that bursting sense of pride as she looked at her own Mark. She wanted people to know it, to know that she'd found someone who loved her. Not just someone, three wonderful, beautiful girls who had filled a void in her soul she had not even realized was there. Like any Faunus, Blake wanted to bare her Mark proudly.

There was just one problem. And she was currently holding it in her hand.

For Ruby, Yang, and Weiss, it wasn't that big a deal. The three were born human, so them showing off their Marks or hiding them wouldn't be that outstanding (Well, maybe for Weiss, but no Faunus had taken issue with her having an initial Mark, one rude bear notwithstanding).

But for Blake… she'd put herself into a corner. A cat-eared Faunus would show her Mark with pride. A bow wearing human would not. The humans in the school might not be able to tell, but the Faunus...

 _What do I do?_ She thought worriedly, panic starting to seep in. _If I show my Mark, but hide my ears, what kind of message does that send? That I'll take the good of being a Faunus, but hide from the bad? I could cover my Mark, but… Dust, no, that would make it seem like I'm ashamed of it! But what else could I do!?_

The answer popped into her head an instant latter. It was simple, terrifyingly so:

Don't wear the bow.

Blake could _feel_ the anxiety build in her chest. Not wear her bow… her every instinct screamed "wrong!" at just the thought. She _needed_ her bow. It was the only thing that kept her from being looked down on by every human out there. With it, she was normal...

...normal. Blake frowned at the word. Normal… what exactly was normal? By human standards, _normal_ was only having two ears and no tail. _Normal_ was being near blind in the dark. _Normal_ was only loving one other person…

Without meaning too, Blake's hand clenched around her bow, squeezing it in her fist. The instant she realized what she did, she opened her hand, staring down at the wrinkled fabric, feeling lost.

"Blake? Hey, you okay?"

Yang's voice startled Blake out of her thoughts. She looked up at the blonde in surprise, finding a worried expression on her face. Ruby was looking at her from across the room, pausing as she tried to stuff all of her textbooks into her bag, frowning slightly. Weiss was in the process of putting her hair into her side-ponytail, sending troubled glances Blake's way as she did. All three had finished dressing, clad in their identical Beacon uniforms, making Blake wonder just how long she'd been sitting there thinking.

Blake opened her mouth, then immediately shut it, swallowing down her instant attempt at reassurance. She couldn't lie to them, not anymore. Becoming Mates with them ensured that, the three now able to know when something was troubling her. That thought alone added a whole new layer of worry. There was a lot of things she'd yet to tell her Mates… and a few that she'd told them wrong. She had to remedy that soon, it was only right.

But first…

"I'm... thinking."

Yang sat down beside her, draping an arm across her shoulder. "Obviously." She said, the barest hint of humor in her voice. Blake's lip twitched, granting a grin from the blonde. "What about?"

Blake stared into the blonde's eyes, then panned across to meet Ruby and Weiss'. All three looked back at her, wanting to listen. Wanting to help.

Blake bit her lip. She stared down at her hands, at what they held. After a moment's thought, she asked them.

"Should I stop wearing my bow?"

Surprise and shock spiked across the room, Ruby actually dropping her book bag as her mouth fell open. Weiss' head jerked back as her eyes widened. Yang's mouth hung open for a few seconds, before she snapped it shut with an audible clack. "What brought this on?" She eventually asked, concern in her voice.

Blake let out a sigh. "I want to show off my Mark." When she received no form of surprise, just a soft urging to go one, she continued. "I'd like people to know that we're Mates. The problem is…" She trailed off, unsure how to phrase her words.

"Yes…?" Weiss urged, curious and concerned.

Blake huffed. "The problem is that… I've been hiding what I am for so long. If I showed my Mark, but still hid that I'm a Faunus… what would people think of that?"

Yang suddenly frowned, her agitation getting all their attentions. "Wait, this isn't about that Kojak guy, is it? Blake, you shouldn't let him get to you like this."

Blake shook her head, letting out a groan. "No, it's not just him. I… I'm happy about what we've done. Proud of what we did. I want people to know that, how proud I am. But, if I keep wearing my bow…"

Weiss hummed, understanding. "It muddies the message you want to send."

Blake nodded. "Yes. I just…" She groaned in frustration. "I don't know what to do!"

She fell silent, glaring at the bow in her hands. Of all things, she couldn't believe that a simple stretch of cloth could cause her so much strife, at least not like this. She ground her teeth as she thought and rethought the situation in her head. To make matters worse, the clock had continued to tick away. If they didn't leave soon, they'd miss breakfast and be late for class.

Emotions washed over her from all directions, snapping her out of her thoughts. _Concern. Helplessness. Frustration. A want to help._

It was the last one she focused on. She had to remember, these three weren't just her friends, her team anymore. They were her Mates. And Mates help each other through their problems. She'd only really thought about how she'd be there to help the others, but… the reverse was true too.

Hesitantly, Blake lifted her head. She glanced at Ruby and Weiss, the two looking back in concern, then focused on Yang. She leaned into the blonde's embrace as she whispered, "What do you three think? Do you think I should just… stop hiding?"

Yang held her stare, looking puzzled and conflicted. "You want the honest answer?"

Blake nodded. "Yes, Yang. I want to know."

Yang looked at her for a moment, then let out a long breath. "Honestly, Blake… I don't think you should anymore."

Blake felt her heart jump to her throat. She'd said she wanted to know Yang's thoughts, but she hadn't expected the blonde to say it so bluntly.

Weiss apparently agreed. "Yang!" The heiress cried out in reproach.

A hint of red crept up Yang's neck as she defended herself. "Hey, she wanted my honest answer, and I'm giving it to her!" She turned back to Blake, her tone softening. "Look, Blake, I get why you chose to wear it when you first came here, but I think you'd be okay to take it off. The only people who are gonna care that you're a Faunus are jerks like Cardin, but their not worth your time anyway. If a couple morons want to judge you for what you are before they even know you, let'em. Everyone who matters will be fine with it."

Blake could only nod numbly at her words. Yang didn't think she need her bow. She… didn't know how to feel about that, honestly.

She slowly turned to her other Mates, her eyes landing on Ruby first. "Ruby?"

Ruby thought for a moment, looking down. "I'm… not sure." She said quietly. "I'd like for you not to have to hid your ears, but I don't want you to get picked on either. Although," She perked up suddenly, smiling as she looked Blake in the eye. "If you did stop wearing your bow, you'd have us supporting you the whole time!"

Blake blinked at the younger girls answer. She… wasn't wrong. It wasn't like when she first started at Beacon, all alone with no help. Now she had her team, her Mates, at her side. She hadn't really thought of it that way before. Lastly, she turned to Weiss.

The heiress looked back, biting at her thumbnail as she thought. She sighed. "I don't know, Blake. I'd like to tell you that you have nothing to worry about coming out as a Faunus, but…" She sighed again, her voice lowering. "I kind of disproved that sentiment myself. Still, it's not my choice. Ruby's right, Blake. If you chose to do this, we'll support you." She finished with a kind smile, giving a small nod.

Blake sat there, taking all their words in, as well as the feeling of support they were each sending her. She looked between each of them, being met with smiles and kind eyes.

She tried to picture it: walking the halls of Beacon with her ears uncovered, her status as a cat-Faunus plain to all who saw her. Combat practice, trips to Vale, just sitting in class, ears free to the air, being stared at by everyone. It terrified her.

Then… the image shifted. Walking down the hall, her team by her side. Training with her team, enjoying a day out with them, all without having to hide. It was wonderful.

She bit her lip, staring down at her bow. Slowly, she nodded.

She'd made her choice.

* * *

 **A/n: Welcome , my friends, to Act II of Linked in Life and Love. This is where things start to expand a bit. Be warned: I might switch a few things up in the RWBY canon history. I hate to do it, but I had big chunks of this story set in stone months ago, before Volume 4 decided mess everything up. Still, I'm not discouraged. Whatever RT comes up with for the show, it just gives me more to work with here.**

 **One more set up chapter, and then we jump feet first into MY version of Volume 2. Only took me a whole year!**

 **See you all then!**


	25. Chapter 25: Arced

**Chapter 25: Arced**

"I'm sorry, Jaune, I just don't think it's possible."

Pyrrha frowned at the mad scribblings laid out on the cafeteria table before her. She was honestly impressed with the amount of effort Jaune had put into his little pet project, but she couldn't help feeling that it was rather pointless.

"Are you sure?" Jaune asked from his place beside her, frowning as he leaned over the papers. "I could have sworn I had the math right…"

From Pyrrha's other side, Ren gave the various notes a quick onceover. "You did the calculations correctly, Jaune." He said calmly. "The problem is, you simply aren't strong enough to bounce your shield off that many objects and have it keep up enough momentum, let alone have it come back to you."

Pyrrha nodded in agreement. "Plus, even if you were strong enough to do this, you'd have to make all of these calculations in your head, in less than a second. It's just not practical."

"Plus," Nora piped in from Ren's side, glancing away from the fragile tower of balanced silverware she'd been constructing through breakfast. "I'm pretty sure if you threw your shield that hard against a wall, you'd pulverize it."

Jaune felt just the slightest spark of hope. "The wall or my shield?"

"Both." She answered bluntly as she placed the tip of a butter knife on the points of a fort.

Jaune's spark of hope burnt out. "Man… I really thought I was onto something…" He muttered as he collected his notes into a messy pile.

Pyrrha patted him gently on the back, smiling softly. "It was a good idea, Jaune. You just need to come up with something different… preferably one that would obey the laws of physics."

Jaune managed a smile despite himself. Pyrrha's words always did have a way of making him feel better.

"Morning guys!"

Nora jumped at the sudden shout, accidentally knocking over her cutlery castle. "Aww…" She moaned forlornly.

Jaune stifled a laugh (you do _not_ laugh at Nora unless she told a joke… or you hate your own legs), then turned to greet the team settling across from his own. "Good morning, Ruby. Running a little late this morning aren't youuuuu…?" Jaune trailed off as he got a good look at the girls sitting across from him, his brain power coming to a complete dead stop.

All-in-all, Team RWBY looked about the same as they always did. Ruby was tearing into her breakfast of donuts and cereal. Weiss was absently scanning her scroll, no doubt planning out her day. Yang was going through her bag, making sure she'd grabbed all her homework before leaving the dorm. And Blake…

Blake was fidgeting slightly in her seat between Weiss and Yang, her head down as she avoided eye contact with anyone at the table. There was a book opened in front of her, but Jaune couldn't really tell if she was actually reading it because… well…

Jaune knew it was rude. It was improper. It was borderline offensive. But he couldn't help but stare.

After all, it's not every day one of your classmates grows cat ears overnight.

Something jabbed him sharply in the side, bringing him back to reality. He turned to his side to find Pyrrha, a disapproving look on her face. Her eyes briefly flicked across the table, causing him to look back. He just barely caught Blake's amber eyes on him before focusing back on her book, a small frown on her face. He also felt a chill run down his spine when he caught a warning look from Yang.

It took Jaune all of a second to realize what he'd been doing. "Aw, crap, sorry, I…" He stopped blathering when Blake glanced up at him, almost shyly. Jaune sighed, fully aware of how bad this could go, but plowed ahead anyway. "Okay, I know I'm not the most attentive guy in school, but please tell me I'm not _that_ blind."

Blake blinked at his statement as Pyrrha let out a small groan beside him. Ruby looked between him and Blake with a little worry, Weiss subtly closing her scroll to focus on the conversation. Once his words played back in his head, Jaune started mentally preparing for the inevitable onslaught of angry females.

To the shock and relief of all, Blake's lips curved up into a nervous smile. "No, Jaune. I've, um… I was hiding my ears under my bow."

"Oh." Jaune said in response. Then the implications really clicked, his eyes widening in realization. " _Ohhh_ …"

"Nora, no."

All eyes (some more subtly than others) turned towards the end of the table. Ren was calmly sipping from his cup of tea, while Nora crossed her arms in annoyance, facing away from him. "I didn't do anything." She muttered.

"You were thinking it."

"No I wasn't!"

"Yes, you were."

"Well…" Nora's eyes briefly flicked towards Blake, specifically, her ears. "I wasn't going to actually do it."

Ren looked at her from the corner of his eye, then shook his head with a small smirk. He set down his cup, looking to Blake. "Any particular reason for the change, Blake?"

Blake swallowed, closing her book. "I… did some thinking, and after talking it over with my team, I decided that I don't want to hide what I am anymore."

Ren nodded, his lips curving up into a small smile. "Rather brave of you."

Blake tried to smile back, but only managed to bite her lip nervously as she folded her hands on the table. "I wish I felt it. I can't stop feeling like everyone's staring at me."

"Aw, don't sweat it, Blake," Yang said before swiveling her head around the room. "Either no one's noticed or they just don't care… well mostly." She muttered as she met the eyes of a fox-Faunus who'd been staring at their table, his mouth hanging open in shock. Said fox snapped his mouth shut, suddenly finding his scrambled eggs very interesting.

Blake sighed, having seen the whole thing. Her cat ears wilted. "I was afraid of that…"

"You've just surprised them is all," Pyrrha soothed. "Give it a few days. The novelty will wear off eventually."

Blake met Pyrrha's warm green eyes, and managed a small smile. "Thanks. So…" She started hesitantly, her ears perking up a little. "Do you guys have any problems with this… me being a Faunus?"

Pyrrha shook her head, smiling. "Not at all. I have no issue with Faunus. Though…"Her cheeks tinted a little in embarrassment. "I am sorry about the other morning."

Blake was confused for a moment, before she remembered. "It's fine. Thank you for not saying anything to anyone."

Pyrrha seemed surprised by her gratitude, then shrugged with a grin. "Wasn't my business."

Ren raised an eyebrow at the red-head. "You knew Blake was a Faunus?"

Pyrrha nodded. "I saw her ears when I brought their pancakes over last weekend." She ignored Nora's annoyed huff. "Like I said, wasn't my place to say anything."

Ren nodded in acceptance, then gave Blake a small smile. "The fact that you're a Faunus doesn't change who you are, Blake. I'm fine with it."

"Same here!" Nora chirped with a large grin. "Though, um…" Her eyes glanced up at Blake's ears again, her expression turning awkward.

Blake frowned in apprehension, her ears folding back slightly. "What?"

Nora's mouth opened and closed a few times, different words forming on her lips, yet none of them were spoken. She gave an odd grimace as she struggled for the right thing to say.

Ren let out a long-suffering sigh, taking a sip of his tea. "She wants to ask if she can pet your ears."

Blake jerked back in surprise, her ears slamming back against her skull. She just barely registered her teammates react similarly, Weiss giving Nora a disapproving glare.

Nora's head snapped towards Ren, a look of utter betrayal on her face (which Ren promptly ignored). Her cheeks tinting in embarrassment, Nora shrugged at Blake, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry…" She weakly apologized. "They just look… fuzzy."

Her shock worn off, Blake narrowed her eyes at Nora, frowning. "Nora, that's not really something you ask in public. It's… private."

Nora slumped, looking cowed. "Sorry…"

Blake held her glare for a moment, before letting out a sigh. She reminded herself that this wasn't some random person, this was one of her friends. Her eyes softened as she smiled at Nora. She leaned forward, lowering her voice. "Maybe after classes."

Nora blinked in surprise, then beamed a smile, practically bouncing in her seat.

That just left… Blake turned to face the leader of Team JNPR, only to find a confusing sight.

Jaune was squinting across the table at Ruby, who hadn't seemed to notice what with having tried to focus on the conversation and her breakfast at the same time. Blake tried to follow his eyes, only to feel a chill when she realized what caught his attention: Ruby's Mate's Mark.

The academy uniforms they all wore unfortunately didn't give them many options when it came to showing off their Marks. With their high collars, the only part of their Mark's that could be seen clearly was Weiss' snowflake. The collar cut the Mark off about half-way down, leaving only half of Blake's flower and just the tips of Ruby's rose and Yang's flame to be seen. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best they could do with what they had.

Apparently, however, their Marks were plenty visible, because Jaune was staring right at Ruby's, his brow scrunched in confusion and… shock, Blake guessed?

"Jaune?" She asked hesitantly, slightly worried.

Jaune blinked, taking his eyes off of Ruby's neck and turning to Blake. "Wha? Oh, sorry, Blake. You say something?"

Blake bit her lip, feeling her anxiety raise for unknown reasons. The way he'd been looking at Ruby's Mark was… odd. Almost like… Blake pushed the thought away. There was no way. Instead, she asked, "Do you have a problem with me being a Faunus?"

To her surprise, Jaune gave her a funny look. Even more surprising, he gave a small baffled laugh. "Uh… would be a little hypocritical of me if I did, wouldn't it?"

Now Blake was confused, and she wasn't the only one. Everyone from either side of the table turned towards Jaune, bewildered. Ruby cocked her head to the side in confusion, an action mirrored by Nora. Ren raised an eyebrow at him, curiosity bleeding through his stoic facade. Weiss head jerked back, her eyes wide, while Yang stared at him like he'd just spoken in a different language. Pyrrha's eyebrows shot up to her hairline, her mouth falling open a bit.

Jaune flinched under the sudden attention, sinking into his seat like he expected a bomb to go off. "What? What'd I say?"

Blake worked her mouth a few times, struggling for something to say. From the corner of her eye, she saw Nora not-so-subtly lean around Ren and look up and down Jaune's back. It was completely insane, but Blake took a sniff of the air just to be sure.

 _No… no, his scent is human._ She thought to herself. The only Faunus scents on Jaune were so faint that they had to be second hand, likely just from being around the Faunus students in Beacon. _But then why would he say…?_

"Um… the hell do you mean by that, Vomit Boy?" Yang asked, baffled.

Jaune stared back at her, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Well, because of my… wait…" His features smoothed out in realization, before turning back to confusion. "Didn't I tell you all about my family?"

His sudden change of topic left Blake feeling even more lost. "Your family?" She questioned.

Jaune's eyes widened. "I could've sworn I… Ruby, Pyrrha!" He quickly looked between the two, gaining their startled attention. "I know I told you two about my family!"

Ruby hesitated for a second, before thinking hard. "Uh… you have a lot of sisters, right?"

"Seven, if I remember right." Pyrrha added, nodding to the sniper.

Jaune looked back and forth from them both, his brow scrunched in confusion. "But I could have sworn..." Then he blinked. He let out a groan, slapping a hand to his forehead. "I'm an idiot." He stated.

Pyrrha frowned in disapproval. "Jaune, you're not-"

"No, I am." Jaune affirmed, thoroughly annoyed with himself as he started patting his pockets, looking for something. "Because only I would know you guys this long and never- ah, here it is." From his back pocket, Jaune pulled out his scroll, turning it on. He swiped across the screen a few times, before letting out sound of satisfaction. He set it down on the table, turning it sideways so everyone could see. A picture of four people was on the screen. "That's me with my three oldest sisters."

Everyone crowded around to see the small screen, Ruby having to move between Weiss and Blake to get a good look. From Blake's seat, she could see the picture perfectly. And it confused the hell out of her.

True to Jaune's words, the picture was of him and three blonde haired women, all smiling at the camera. Jaune was wearing a grey suit and tie that looked about a size too big. He was standing near the center of the picture, sandwiched between two of the women, each of them having draped an arm across his shoulders, with the third doing the same to the women next to her. Two of the girls wore matching sky-blue dresses, while the one on Jaune's right...

"Is that a wedding dress?" Weiss asked incredulously.

Jaune gave a sheepish grin. "Yeah. Those are my sisters Jane, Jessie, and Joanne. It was Jessie's wedding day and they roped me into taking pictures with everyone."

Weiss nodded at his answer, her attention back on the photo along with everyone else. Honestly, if not for the wedding dress, none of them would be able to tell Jessie from the other two. The three looked so similar, they could have passed for triplets.

If not for the fact that, poking out in front of Jessie's wedding veil, were two large pointed wolf ears, same as the girl on Jaune's other side.

Blake's mouth fell open as she tried to process what she was seeing. "Your sisters are… Faunus?" She asked faintly.

Jaune nodded, smiling. "Yep! Wolf Faunus, actually."

Blake met his eyes, trying to understand. "But… you're human. How…?"

"Well," Jaune started. "Technically, they're my half-sisters." From the corner of her eye, Blake saw Ruby and Yang share a surprised glance with each other. Jaune didn't notice, continuing. "See, Jane and Jessie are the daughters of my dad and his first wife, who was also a wolf Faunus. A little after Jane and Jess turned two- they're twins, you see- their mom got real sick. There was nothing anyone could do, and she passed away. Two years later, he met the woman who would be my mom."

Silence fell around the table as Jaune finished. No one was quite sure what to say.

"Yeesh…" Yang said after a while. "That's… kinda heavy, Jaune."

Jaune shrugged. "I guess. I've never really thought about it too much. Jane and Jess were really young when their mom died, so they don't remember a whole lot about her. And as far as I can remember, they've always considered my mom their mom."

Yang nodded, and Blake felt something odd across the link. She moved her eyes to look at Yang as she felt a mix of sadness and longing coming from the blonde. It was gone just as fast as it came, but Blake still caught the small frown on Yang's face, before she wiped it away with a grin. She bobbed her head towards the image. "Well, you all look happy. Them being Faunus didn't matter to you?"

Jaune smiled back, slightly perplexed. "Course not. They're my big sisters. Though it did kinda suck playing hide-and-seek when we were kids. Freaking wolf senses…" He grumbled to himself, face screwing up in frustration like he was recalling a bad memory. His face smoothed out as he picked up his scroll, grinning at Blake. "So, yeah. I don't have a problem with you being a Faunus, Blake. Kind of hard to when I grew up with two of them."

Blake couldn't help the wide smile spreading across her lips. She'd been so scared about people knowing she was a Faunus, but even more so about JNPR. Strangers and random students were bad enough, but the members of JNPR were slowly becoming people she could add to her short list of people she trusted. She was afraid that she'd lose that possibility once they knew what she was. Instead, they were completely okay with it. If anything, given what she'd learned about Jaune and his family, she was even closer to them now.

Across the Link, she felt happiness and relief from Ruby and Weiss, and from Yang, a sense of satisfaction behind her relief. She turned to the blonde, being met with a familiar grin. She rolled her eyes. "Don't say 'I told you so.'"

Yang put her hands up in defense, still grinning. "Alright." She said, in a tone that clearly meant 'But I'll still think it.'

Blake sighed with a smile, she felt her ears perk up, lifting along with her mood. She nearly caught herself, before remembering that she didn't need to restrain her ear's movements anymore. _That's going to be a hard habit to break._ She thought to herself.

The next few minutes passed with comforting ease. Ruby started asking Jaune more questions about his family, Pyrrha listening attentively as they talked, asking her own questions from time to time. Yang and Nora started an argument over which was more effective, a fist covered in flames or a hammer covered in lightning, while Weiss and Ren went back to their own devices, Weiss flipping through her scroll while Ren enjoyed his tea.

Blake just tried to relax, listening to bits and pieces of the two different conversations. A sudden tickling on the back of her neck put her on back on edge, the feeling instantly familiar: someone was looking at her.

She swiveled in her seat, quickly scanning the cafeteria. She saw a few Faunus suddenly duck their heads, but the feeling didn't go away. She looked a bit more…

"Oh no…" She muttered, her ears folding down against her skull.

Weiss picked up on her sudden dread, looking at her. "Blake? What… oh." Weiss trailed off as she followed Blake's gaze.

Across the room, Cardin Winchester had just walked in. His left eye was still swollen shut from the last combat practice, but his other one was opened wide. His face went slack with shock, before a sneer spread over his lips. He started making his way across the room, the rest of CRDL following behind.

Blake felt her mouth go dry. This was it. This was _exactly_ why she'd stayed hidden all this time: so she could avoid this exact situation.

Cardin reached the midway point of the room, his eyes locked onto Blake.

"Oh, just try it, buddy."

The quiet mutters pulled Blake from her building anxiety, making her turn to the side. Yang was glaring right passed her, her eyes blazing red. A quick look the other way showed Ruby and Weiss doing the same, the closest thing to anger Blake had ever seen on Ruby's face. Weiss frowned at the approaching group, eyes narrowed in disdain.

 _ **THUNK!**_

Blake jumped as the whole table suddenly shook. Her head spun around as she looked across the table. To her surprise, Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ren were also glaring at Cardin, with Ren's eyes narrowed dangerously. Beside them however, Nora was smiling widely towards Cardin, her hands folded gently over Magnhild's handle, the massive hammer having appeared on the table seemingly from nowhere.

Cardin froze in his tracks, as did the rest of his team. He looked over the table, worry flickering across his features as he realized that he was outnumbered. Then he just sneered again, changing course towards an empty table.

Blake let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She glanced to her sides, seeing her teammates relax as well. "Thank you." She whispered gratefully.

Yang patted her on the back, smiling as her eyes went back to lavender. "We got your back, Blake."

Blake managed a smile, her ears perking up slightly. Ruby and Weiss smiled at her, before going back to what they were doing. Across the table, Ren sent raised a disapproving eyebrow at Nora, looking between her and Magnhild. Nora just grinned back at him, humming a little tune.

Blake looked around at the seven of them, her grin not leaving her as she felt warmth in her chest. It had been a long time since she felt this safe with a group of people. She felt newfound hope that it would last.

She pulled out her scroll, checking the time. Classes were going to start shortly. Before she put her scroll away, she decided to check the news to see if anything had happened outside Beacon. Her thumb taped across the screen, bring up hew favored news site.

Her ears dipped down as she read the first headline.

 _ **SDC WAREHOUSE ROBBED. WHITE FANG SUSPECTED.**_

As Blake read further down the report, she felt her ears lowering with her mood.

 _They're growing bolder…_ She thought with dread.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Blake jumped slightly at Weiss' soft voice. She turned, finding the heiress' eyes flicking between herself and her own scroll, worry etched on her face. Blake looked at Weiss' scroll, seeing the same news report she'd been reading.

 _She must have felt my mood and put two and two together,_ Blake thought to herself. She felt her usual instinct to deny it, to say it was her problem, but she forced it down. She could feel Weiss worry and desire to help. She caught the glances of Ruby and Yang, each catching on to the feeling of Weiss and herself.

Blake looked back down at her scroll, re-reading the headline. "Later." She finally said.

Weiss annoyance was palpable. "Blake…" she said warningly.

The corner of Blake's lip twitched a little as she fought a smile. She waved a hand in placation. "After classes, Weiss. Then I'll talk about it, I promise."

Weiss kept up her stern stare for a few more seconds, then sighed heavily. "Fine. But I'm holding you to that."

Just then, the bell rung, signaling the five minute warning. Everyone moved to leave, Blake following her team. They had just left the room and started up the hall when a voice sounded behind them.

"I'll catch up in a second. Hey, Blake!" Blake turned to the voice, finding Jaune standing next to her, his team walking off without him. Pyrrha sent him a curious look before following after Ren and Nora. "Hey, can I talk to you for a second?"

Blake blinked, confused. "Um… sure." She caught sight of her team sending her questioning looks. She gave them a reassuring smile and waved for them to continue on. She saw Yang shrug and Ruby nod back, before they kept walking towards class. She turned back to Jaune. "Something wrong?"

Jaune rubbed the back of his head, smiling awkwardly. "Nothing's wrong really, it's just…" He heaved out a long sigh, as if resigning himself. "Look, I _completely_ understand that it's none of my business, but it's going to bug me if I don't ask." He gingerly pressed a finger to the side of his neck. "That mark on your neck. Is that… a Mate's Mark?"

Blake blinked in surprise. "You know about Mate's Marks?" She asked.

Jaune nodded. "Yeah. When I was ten I asked my brother-in-law why he got a tattoo on his neck, and Jane explained it to me. So, I guess that's a yes?"

Blake hesitated, then nodded slowly. "Yes, it is."

Jaune nodded back, just as slowly. "'Kay. I also saw that Ruby had the same Mark… and so did Yang… and Weiss…"

Blake felt her cheeks warm a little as she started to tense up. "Do you have a problem with our relationship?" She asked calmly, but defensively.

Jaune threw his hands up in surrender. "No, no, I don't have a problem! It's just… I knew group relationships were a thing with some Faunus, I just didn't think I'd ever know someone who was in one."

Blake relaxed slightly at his honest tone, her eyes softening. "So, you're okay with it?"

Jaune gave a small hum, his head tilting slightly. "Yeah, pretty much. I mean, it's a little weird, but I know you guys. If you think you can make it work, then go for it. Though…"

Blake frowned as he trailed off. "What?"

With an embarrassed chuckle, Jaune rubbed at the back of his neck. "Well… I was kind of making plans to try and ask Weiss out?" He said with a sheepish grin, cringing a little as he did so.

Blake's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed. A small growl sounded at the back of her throat.

Jaune instantly threw his hands back up. "Hey, she's taken, I get it!" He laughed quietly to himself. "Didn't really think I had a chance anyway."

Blake forced her annoyance down, letting out a sigh. She started walking up the hall, Jaune following behind. "You'll find someone Jaune. Just be patient."

Jaune huffed. "Jeez, you sound like my sisters." He perked up a little, remembering something. "That reminds me: Jane said humans couldn't give a Faunus a Mark. How did you get one?"

Blake started at the turn in conversation, but then smiled. "You're right, Humans usually can't, but Weiss had this idea…"

The two continued towards their classes as Blake and Jaune talked, Blake not even noticing the curious stares she got from the people she passed in the hall. Neither did they notice the shocked look of one particular rabbit-Faunus they passed, watching them turn down a corner.

"A human… can Mark a Faunus?" Velvet whispered to herself.

* * *

 **A/n: Well, everyone seemed to be alright with me messing with canon character history, so here's my first attempt at it: my take on Jaune's sisters. I don't really have an explanation for it except that it popped into my head on day and I really liked the idea. Expect more changes in the future.**

 **Well, here we go. Starting next chapter, I'm officially tackling Volume 2. The chapters might take a little bit longer from here on out, mostly because I'm going to be rewatching Volume 2 for reference, as well as preparing my shattered soul as I rewatch Volume 3 for ideas. Wish me luck!**

 **Also, 100k words, people! We finally hit the big time!**

 **See ya all next chapter!**


	26. Chapter 26: Coming Clean

**A/n: Backstory time! Be afraid, folks. Be very afraid.**

 **Chapter 26: Coming Clean**

The day had gone by surprisingly fast. Blake had gone into each class with more than a little fear, just waiting for that one student, or worse, one of the teachers, to make a comment about her ears. She figured it was only a matter of time before someone drew attention to her sudden change in species.

And yet… it never happened. Oh, she still got some curious stares, there was no ignoring that. Every class there was at least one human that did a doubletake when they saw her, but none of them said anything. The worst she got was one guy in Port's class that, once he noticed her ears, moved from his seat next to her to one on the other side of the room. It hurt, but compared to what she'd been expecting, his reaction was rather tame.

The big surprise was the teachers. To Blake's utter shock, the teachers barely seemed to notice the change. The most she got out of any of them was a wide smile from Professor Oobleck, and a raised eyebrow and small nod from Professor Goodwitch. It wasn't until after lunch that she figured out the most likely reason: they'd already known.

It made sense. Ozpin had made her for the Faunus she was the moment he'd met her, and she had a strong feeling that he knew about her history in the White Fang. Of course he'd tell the school faculty.

If anything, it was the others that started turning heads. Everywhere they went, Ruby, Weiss, and Yang drew the attention of nearly every Faunus they came across. Blake had lost count of the number of dropped jaws and bugged eyes she saw throughout the halls as Team RWBY made their way to various classes. And every time, it was the same thing: a Faunus would see them, do a doubletake, and then immediately look at their Mate's Marks. Again, no one said anything, much to Blake's relief, but there was no missing the curiosity and shock they drew everywhere they went.

Each of her Mates handled it differently. Ruby worried her a little, as the young leader seemed to try and sink into her cloak whenever she noticed too many eyes on her. Yang had told Blake before that Ruby use to be uncomfortable being around strangers, but this was the first time she'd seen it. She'd done her best to send her youngest Mate feelings of calm and reassurance. Judging by the grateful smiles she received from Ruby, it was helping, at least a little bit.

Yang was a different story. Whereas Ruby was nervous from all the attention, Yang seemed to thrive on it. Everytime she felt some Faunus' eyes on her, Yang would just meet their gaze and smile wildly, somethime even giving them a little wave. Her response seemed to startle most of them into looking away (likely the reaction she was going for, if Blake hazarded a guess), but a few of them actually smiled and waved back.

Weiss… just seemed to ignore them. She wasn't being purposefully rude or malicious, Blake could feel that; Weiss just acted like the attention wasn't there. And Blake couldn't really blame her. Whereas Ruby and Yang got brief shocked glances, Faunus just _stared_ at Weiss. Evidently, the impossibility of a Schnee being a Faunus' Mate was not lost on them.

At lunch, Blake couldn't help but ask Weiss how she just ignored all the attention. Weiss' response was simple: being the Schnee heiress, she was used to unwanted attention. The resignation Blake felt across the Link in that moment made her heart constrict. In response, Blake had simply wrapped her hand around Weiss' under the table, giving it a squeeze. The small smile Weiss gave her lessened her concern, coaxing out a smile of her own.

Things had died down a bit after lunch, at least enough that they could make it down the halls without seemingly _everyone_ staring at them. After classes had been let out, Ruby even managed to drag her and Weiss down to the library to introduce them to _Remnant: The Game_. Neither of them had been all that impressed with it at first, but after a few rounds, they'd both started to have fun, if for nothing else then watching Ruby and Yang's reactions when one of them suffered a sudden defeat.

JNPR had even wondered in after a while, joining in on the game. It was the first time in a long while that Blake was able to just have fun with friends, all her problems and worries being pushed to the back of her mind for once.

Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to last. Soon after the game ended and Team RWBY started making their way back to their dorm, Blake's thoughts started going back to that news report. Ever since that night at the docks, more and more robberies had cropped up by the week. That had been bad enough, but this time, it had gotten worse. A security guard was in the hospital for massive internal bleeding, and another had both of his legs broken. The White Fang weren't just stealing anymore; they were actively hurting people.

And the sheer amount of Dust stolen… something big was about to happen, that much Blake was sure of. And the fact that she was apparently the _only_ one that understood that was infuriating!

Her souring mood was not missed by her Mates. Ruby and Yang kept sending her concerned glances, while Weiss just looked at her expectantly.

Blake almost sighed in frustration. She knew why Weiss was giving her that look. She was waiting for Blake to explain her change in mood, just like she'd promised that morning. And Blake had no problem with that, really! Her only issue was that in order to tell them what was wrong, she had to make them understand why this weighed so heavily on her. And that… could be a problem.

Because… they were Mates now. She was connected to these three the in the most intimate of ways; they had each willingly given a piece of themselves to her, physically made them a part of her. And with that connection came certain rights. Their problems were now her problems… and her problems were now theirs.

There were no secrets between Mates, not with something as important as this. And even if they weren't Mates, Blake knew her team. Once they realized how important the White Fang situation was to her, they'd want to help in one way or another. But as her Mates, Blake was an open book to them. They'd know if she tried to keep something important from them.

Blake heaved a sigh. She felt at war with herself. There was Blake of the White Fang, wanting to hide away from everything, keeping all her history and personal issues away from anyone and everyone, ensuring that it was her problem and hers alone. And there was Blake Belladonna, Huntress-in-training, Mate to Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao-Long, wishing, _longing_ , to let these three know who she is, fully and completely, and accept any help they'd be willing to give.

Blake listened to both sides, trying to think of what would happen if she followed one path or another. It was the sight of another worried wayward glance from Ruby that she made her decision, much to the dismay of the butterflies in her stomach.

For them to help her, she'd need to tell them everything about her connection to the White Fang.

 _Everything._

Goddesses help her.

* * *

"Alright, Blake. This has gone far enough."

Blake resisted the urge to groan, putting her book down. She looked up from where she laid on her bed, finding Weiss glowering down at her, arms crossed.

"You promised you would tell us what was wrong after classes. Well, classes have been over for four hours, and…" Weiss stern look softened a bit, her frown fading to a thin line. "And I can _feel_ that something's eating at you. So, please, tell us."

Blake swallowed. She looked across the room, finding Ruby looking back from her bunk, concern palpable. Above her, she heard the squeak of bedsprings as Yang no doubt moved to look down on them, the blonde's curiosity and worry leaking out across the Link. With a sigh, Blake sat up, swinging her legs off the edge of the bed.

"I know, I'm just… trying to think of how to explain everything."

"Something wrong, Blake?" Ruby asked, concern in her voice.

Blake fidgeted under their gaze. She felt her bed shake as Yang shifted on the bunk above her, Yang's golden locks hanging over the beds edge as the blonde peered down at her. Blake swallowed down her nerves. "Do you all remember when I said that… there's no secrets between Mates?"

Surprise echoed through the Link as her Mates reacted to her words. Yang looked across the room, meeting Weiss and Ruby's eyes, before jumping off her bunk to the floor below. She sat down next to Blake, pulling her legs up to sit cross-legged. "Yeah," Yang said. "What of it?"

Blake looked around at them all. Ruby and Weiss looked back at her expectedly, Ruby's head tilted a little to the side, while Weiss crossed her arms, frowning. Equal parts worry and curiosity rolled off of them.

Blake took a deep breath, letting it out slow. "Well… I think it's time I make good on that." When she was met with only confused stares, she clarified. "I… haven't been entirely honest with you all."

 _Surprise. Resignation. A small amount of hurt._

Blake flinched slightly. She couldn't pin down who exactly the emotions had come from, meaning that all three of her Mates had felt the same thing. The resignation stung the worse, Blake realizing that she'd kept so many secrets from her Mates that they'd grown use to it.

Weiss took a calming breath, the indignant frown that had formed on her lips fading into a tight line. "Okay…" She started slowly. "What haven't you been honest about?"

Blake bit her lip. "It's… about my parents."

That startled a reaction out of them all, eyes widening all around. "What about them?" Ruby asked, frowning.

Blake forced herself to meet the leader's eyes. She took comfort in Ruby's bright silver eyes, no judgment or anger reflected back from them, just curiosity and worry. She took another breath, steadying herself. "I told you all that I didn't know my parents? That's… not true." She tried to ignore the thunderous amounts of shock coming off them all. "I do know them. I just… havn't seen them in a long time."

Seconds ticked by as the three processed her words. Blake sat there, waiting, letting the slew of confused and conflicting emotions wash over her. She felt a tug at her heart from the feeling, but she ignored it. Much as their feelings hurt her, they were well deserved. She just hoped they'd let her explain.

It was Weiss who broke the silence. "Why lie about that, Blake?" Weiss asked, trying to sound calm. Blake could still hear the hurt in her voice.

Blake looked into Weiss' crystal blue eyes. "Because of who they are. Or at least… who my father is."

Yang raised an eyebrow, frowning. "What about him? He do something bad or something?"

Blake shook her head, the corner of her lip turning up wryly despite herself. "No, no, nothing like that. It's just… I'm worried you'll look at me differently once you know who he is."

Weiss cocked an eyebrow at her, unimpressed. "Blake, I am in no position to judge anyone by who their father is."

Her bluntness got a startled look out of Blake, amber eyes widening briefly.

"Yeah, and me and Ruby can't really say much when it comes to other people's families," Yang admitted with a sheepish, if tight grin. The blonde shot a look to her sister. "Right, Rubes?"

Ruby, having come down off her bunk and had taken a seat at the desk chair, sent back the same tight smile. "Yeah…" She agreed, looking down slightly.

Blake and Weiss watched the short interaction in surprised confusion. They shared a look, agreeing to question the sisters on that later. For the moment, Weiss simply met Blake's eyes with an expectant look.

Blake held the look for a moment, before sighing in defeat, her ears wilting. "Okay. Just… promise not to make a big deal about this?"

Ruby tilted her head slightly. "A big deal about what?"

"Just… promise me?" Blake pleaded. "Please?"

Weiss kept up her stare, though her features softened at Blake's hesitance. She nodded in agreement, Ruby and Yang mirroring her.

Accepting them at their word, Blake took a deep breath, steeling herself. She met each of her Mates eyes, before looking down at the carpet. "My parents live in Menagerie." She started, willing her heartbeat to slow. "My mother's name is Kali, and… my father's name is Ghira."

Seconds ticked past in silence. Blake chanced a look at her Mates. Ruby and Yang looked confused, but thoughtful, while Weiss…

Weiss blinked. Twice. "Could… could you repeat that, Blake?" The heiress' voice was high and tight, thick with disbelief.

Blake's head lowered, grimacing slightly. _I should have known Weiss would make the connection first._ "My father is Ghira of Menagerie."

Weiss stared at her, wide eyed. Then, slowly, she brought a hand to her face, pinching the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes.

Yang let out a grunt of annoyance, cupping her chin in thought. "Ghira… why do I feel like I've heard that name before?"

"Because you have! Two weeks ago in Oobleck's…" Weiss cut her agitated words off with a deep breath.

Ruby, who was still trying to figure out what Weiss apparently had, looked between her and Blake in confusion.

Just when Blake was about to say something, Weiss dragged her hand down her face, out a long sigh as her pleading eyes met Blake's. "Blake, are you seriously telling us that the King of Menagerie… one of the founders and former Leader of the White Fang... is your father?"

Ruby and Yang's eyes widened to comical proportions, snapping in sync to Weiss, then Blake.

Blake swallowed at their looks. "He prefers to be called 'Chieftain', but… yeah." She grinned sheepishly, cringing at their incredulous looks. "Surprise?"

The three just stared. After a few moments of silence so deafening you could hear dust settle, Weiss dipped her head, covering her eyes.

"Alright, Blake," She said faintly. "I'll admit, I cannot blame you keeping that a secret. I… Dust, I need to sit down."

As Weiss wandered off towards her bed, Ruby found her voice. "Blake… you're a princess?"

Blake blinked, then groaned. "No! No, Ruby, I am _not_ a princess. I'm the chief's daughter."

"Um…" Yang asked distantly. "What exactly is the difference?"

"Menagerie is a sovereign nation, not one of the Four Kingdoms. My father is not a king, my mother is not a queen, and I am _not_ a princess!"

Yang flinched away as Blake's voice rose. "Yikes, sorry! Sore subject, I'm guessing?"

Realizing that she had nearly yelled the last part, Blake blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry. But _this_ is part of the reason I didn't tell you all. I didn't want to be treated unfairly for being a Faunus, And I _definitely_ don't want people to look at me differently because they think I'm royalty."

"Well, that's silly!"

Blake, startled, turned to Ruby, who just smiled back at her.

"You're still Blake. Why would it matter if you're a… not-princess?" She finished awkwardly.

Across the room, Weiss sighed. "Because, unlike you, Ruby, not everyone looks at the world like it's made of cookies and rainbows."

Ruby pouted at her, sticking her tongue out. Weiss ignored her, instead lowering her hand from her face as she met Blake's eyes. "So… your father is the leader of Menagerie. That… honestly, that explains a lot."

Blake swallowed, one of her ears flicking nervously. "Yeah. Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you-"

She was cut off when Yang let out a chuckle. "Relax, Blake, we get the picture. That's… really nuts, but I can see why you'd want to keep that under wraps. Though, I got to ask-" The blonde's smile faded into a odd frown. "If your folks are alive, why haven't you talked to them?"

Blake stiffened, then seemed to slump in her seat. "I'd like too, but…" She sighed. "I don't know how to face them."

Yang raised a brow at her. "'Face them?' What, something go down the last time you saw them?"

A breathless chuckle escaped Blake's lips. "Something… I basically ran away from home."

A jolt of shock came at her through the Link, mirrored in her Mates wide eyes. Blake ran a hand through her hair, pushing down her anxiety. She needed to do this, now, before she lost her nerve. Before any of the girls around her could react, she launched into her story.

"Before my father was the Chieftain of Menagerie, he helped form the White Fang, and became their leader. This was before the Fang had become what they are now. Back then, they were just activists, protesters. My father lead them for many years, traveling all throughout the Kingdoms, speaking with anyone willing to listen. The little bit of ground Faunus made towards equality was thanks to him."

As the three listened, there was no mistaking the pride in Blake's voice. Ruby and Yang shared a smile, while Weiss listened intently. When Blake continued, her tone lowered.

"But then… my mother found out she was pregnant. My father made a choice, and decided to step down as High Leader of the White Fang so he could be with his family. He still wanted to help the Faunus people, so when it came time for Menagerie to elect a new chief, dad put himself in the running. Everyone remembered all he did in the White Fang, so he got the Chiefdom easily. Everything seemed okay, until…"

She fell silent. She took a calming breath, preparing herself. She could feel her Mates, waiting impatiently for her to continue. She let the air out slow.

"Menagerie doesn't have academies like the rest of the Kingdoms. To start becoming a Hunter, you either have to be taught by your parents, or join some of the small school groups that form in some towns. My father taught me when he had the chance, but being Chieftain didn't leave much time to spar. So, he found a group being taught by a local prodigy. His name was…" Blake licked her dry lips, her gaze unintentionally flickering up towards Weiss. She looked back down as she muttered on. "...Adam Taurus."

Weiss gasp sounded unnaturally loud in the silent room. "That's-"

"Just-!" Blake threw up a hand, amber eyes pleading into Weiss' wide crystal blue. "Just let me finish." She asked, her voice thick with emotion. "Please."

Weiss' shocked expression slowly morphed to one of startled confusion, before changing to grim acceptance. She nodded for Blake to continue.

Ruby looked to Yang helplessly, her older sister only able to offer a shrug in response. They both could feel the sadness, the regret, the shame coming off of Blake, wanting nothing more than to comfort the Faunus in some way, but unsure how. Before they could do anything, Blake went on, her tone turning almost nostalgic.

"Adam… taught me everything. He taught me on how to use aura, how to master my Semblance. He even helped me figure out which weapon type suited me best. And… even when we weren't training, he was always there just to talk. He never talked down to me, even with the age gap between us. I could tell him anything. He… was my best friend."

"You looked up to him." Yang observed, worry forming at where she felt this was going.

Blake nodded. "Yes, I did. But, even back then… Adam didn't think very highly of humans, and he made that fact known at every opportunity. He would tell me about how Faunus were treated outside of Menagerie, how humans thought that we were beneath them. When he first started telling me these things, I asked my father if he was telling the truth. Dad admitted that he was right to a degree, but not to the extent that Adam made it sound. But… Adam kept telling me more and more and… I listened.

"When I was thirteen, Adam said he was leaving for Vale, to help the White Fang there after a protest turned into a riot. I asked my parents if I could go with him. I was one of the best fighters in our town, and I thought I was ready. They said I was too young to go off on my own, even if Adam was with me. I… didn't agree. So, when Adam got on the boat for Vale, I stowed away to follow him."

Yang let out a disbelieving laugh. "Bet your parents didn't like that."

Blake shook her head, a tiny smile on her lips. "The moment the ship got within range of a communications tower, Adam's scroll started ringing like crazy. My mother was hysterical, and Dad told me to get on the next boat back to Menagerie. Things got kind of heated and… I said some things I shouldn't have. We went back and forth for an hour in the harbor, before we came to an agreement. They'd let me join the Vale branch of the White Fang on two conditions: that I called home as often as I could… and that Adam would watch out for me."

Blake paused to gather her thoughts. She could see the thoughtful look in Weiss eye, not judging so much as considering. The frown on Yang's face worried her, doubly so when she met the blonde's eyes. There was no need for the Link, she knew: Yang had figured it out.

Yang must have seen the way Blake's face fell, because she let her frown lessen just a bit. She gave Blake an encouraging nod, a sign that she was still willing to listen.

It was the sudden widening of Ruby's eyes, and the stunned look on her face as she turned to Blake, that made the Faunus stomach drop.

"Blake?" She asked hesitantly. "This Adam guy… Is he the one who…?" Ruby trailed off, simply pointing to her Mark.

Blake closed her eyes. She gave a small nod. She couldn't see the look on Ruby's face, but she could feel the way younger girl's mood took a dive. Blake chose not to comment on it, continuing on.

"When we first came to Vale, Adam was the only person I knew. I was part of the Vale branch for three years, and I was at his side through all of it, even after he rose to be the local leader."

Her voice grew distant as she remembered. "He really was a good person once. He had his faults, but… he was kind… caring. He would help any Faunus we came across, no matter how big or small the task. He was an amazing warrior, the best I'd ever seen. He… was my hero. And over time… I really thought I loved him."

The emotions Blake felt coming off her Mates could not be put into words, and Blake didn't even try. The sheer _ache_ in her chest was enough to turn her stomach.

"What happened?"

Blake's eyes came up to meet Weiss'. The heiress stared back at her, her face somehow both soft and stern. Blake slowly looked at each of the sisters. Ruby was biting her lip, fidgeting in her chair like she wanted to do _something_ , but had no idea what. Yang met her gaze passively, a hard look in her eye as she waited for Blake to answer Weiss question. Blake looked towards the ground as she did.

"He… changed. I wish I could say when it happened, but I don't know. Over time, he just got… darker… crueler. He said that during rallies, we had to be louder, more forceful. When we helped people, he started asking for compensation. And then… he started getting violent. He told us to fight. He told us to steal. I… in the back of my mind, I guess I knew what we were doing was wrong, but... " She shrugged helplessly. "He was Adam. I had listened to every word he'd said since I was a kid, I believed everything he told me. He said that this is what we had to do to get our message across… and I trusted him."

It was silent for a moment, before Ruby spoke up. "But… you realized what you were doing was bad… right?"

Blake nodded to her. "Eventually… but I should have seen it much sooner." She took a deep breath, steeling herself for one last time. "About a year ago, I… asked him to be my Mate." She took a moment for the girls' shock to abate before going on. "Our… 'relationship', if you could really call it that, wasn't exactly intimate. A few close moments, a _very_ rare kiss every now and then. Most of the time, he was too focused on the White Fang's next move to do anything else. Looking back, what we had was…" She scoffed. "Pathetic. But I had nothing to compare it too, so I thought that was just how things were suppose to be.

"Knowing what I know now, I have _no_ idea how we were able to Mark each other. I know that at the time, I had enough respect, trust, and affection for Adam to Mark him, but… I don't even want to _think_ about how he viewed me in order to form a Mark on me. After we Marked each other, that's when everything fell apart."

"Why?" Weiss asked, not sure if she wanted the answer.

After a few seconds, Blake forced herself to look at her Mates, needing to see their eyes as she explained. "Because of what I felt from him. When I Marked you three… well obviously, we didn't exactly go the traditional route." To her relief, her feeble attempt at humor managed to get a crooked smile from Yang, and elicit a blush from Ruby and Weiss. "When you Mark someone for the first time, it takes a while before you're able to feel your partner's emotions. Your aura has to adjust and settle to the intrusion of someone else's aura. None of you noticed that, because your auras settled while you slept.

"For me and Adam, it was different. We Marked each other in the morning of that day, and it took till mid-afternoon for us to fully feel each other. When we could…" Blake shuddered, her voice growing thick. "Right after we Marked each other, Adam got word that there was something big coming the area: An SDC cargo train full of Dust."

The sheer shock and disbelief she felt from Weiss came as no surprise. Blake's amber eyes met wide crystal blue, taking note of how Weiss' mouth had fallen open in shock. A silent question came across the Link, a need for confirmation. Blake gave a slow nod. Weiss' mouth clicked shut, her lips twisting into a grimace. To Blake's slight relief, Weiss displeasure was tempered with a sense of grim acceptance, the heiress nodding for her to go on.

"Adam and I went alone. 'Our first outing as an item', he called it. All the way there, I kept trying to reach out through the Link, to try and connect with him. It wasn't until we were already fighting the trains defenses that my aura settled."

Blake paused, contemplating. "He felt… cold. When I touched his aura, it was like… there was nothing there. Some basic excitement from the fighting, satisfaction, but… nothing deeper. He was… hollow. At least until… we found the Dust car. Once we'd secured the car, I thought we would just separate the cars, coast to a stop until we could call for a pick-up. Instead… Adam started handing me explosives."

"Whoa…" Yang interrupted, eyes wide. "I don't remember hearing about a train _exploding_. Even in Patch, we would have heard of that!"

Blake nodded. "You're right. You would have. It would have been the biggest attack on the SDC to date, which I'm sure is what Adam was going for."

"But that didn't happen." Weiss stated, baffled.

Blake shook her head. "No. When Adam told me to start planting charges, I asked what we should do about the train's crew. He said… 'What about them?"

For the first time since Blake had started her tale, her expression turned to anger. "He was _happy_. There were almost twenty people on that train, and the mere idea of all those humans dieing horribly thrilled him. He was going to kill them all…" Her hands unconsciously fisted up. "And he was going to enjoy it."

It got quiet as her words sank in. Weiss was staring at Blake with a look of horror. The idea that someone she cared about was connected to someone so vile was unnerving. That Blake had been so close to someone like that… Weiss felt a type of fear she hadn't known existed as she considered what Blake's life must have been like with such a man.

Yang just looked at her, a despondent frown on her lips. Behind her concern, fresh fury sparked to life. She remembered Blake's breakdown two days prior, how the Faunus' response to whether her former would-be Mate had hurt her had been that soul-tearing murmur of "not physically." To Yang, that didn't matter. Physically or not, this Adam had hurt her Blake. If she ever met this guy, Yang was going to hurt _him_. End of story.

Ruby bit her lip. At that moment, the only thing the little leader wanted to do was wrap Blake in the tightest hug she could muster and never let go. The only thing stopping her from doing so was the mix of hesitance and determination she felt from Blake. She could feel how hard it was for Blake to tell them all of this, but the Faunus wanted to tell them. Ruby didn't want risk whatever nerve Blake had gained in order to tell them her past. "What did you do?" She asked quietly.

Blake met her silver eyes. After a moment, her hands unclenched, lying limply in her lap as she looked down at them. "There was one last piece of security on the train… some kind of spider mech. Adam gave me the charges, and told me to start planting them while he took it down. I went to the next car and…" She took a shuddering breath. "I couldn't do it. I couldn't keep following him. Adam… he wasn't the person I knew before. Looking back, I think I'd started noticing beforehand. I just refused to acknowledge it. But in that moment… I had a direct Link with his soul. I got a good look of who he really was, what made him what he is. And what I saw… terrified me.

"I didn't think. I didn't have the time. I stood there on that flatbed, and I heard Adam destroy the mech behind me. I knew he was going to follow me up the train so… I turned around and disconnected the cars. The train pulled away as the car he was on slowed down. I could feel it, the shock he felt as he watched me go. But as soon as he processed what had happened…"

Blakes voice cracked. She swallowed a few times, taking one shaky breath after another. "He was _so_ angry. It… it was like he was screaming in my mind, howling in rage. As soon as the train stopped, I ran. I didn't think about where I was going, I didn't even have a place _to_ go. I just needed to _get away._

"Seven days. His Mark lasted for seven days. I couldn't sleep, I barely ate. I just _ran_. Because every _second,_ I could feel it, the never ending rage across the Link. I didn't stop, just running from town to town. Somehow, I ended up in Vale, back at the harbor." She paused clenching her eyes shut. "I almost did it. I wanted nothing more than to buy a ticket and go back to Menagerie. But… I couldn't face them. How could I? How could I tell them about everything I'd done in the White Fang? How could I tell my father what I had let the White Fang become? That Adam and I..." She let out a trembling breath. "They'd hate me."

The room went silent. Blake took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She felt a line of water run down her face, a tear spilling from her eye without her noticing. She quickly wiped it away, willing her tears away.

"I really doubt that."

Blake started, turning her head to face Yang. The blonde frowned at her, her expression soft. "It ain't like you meant for any of this to happen. Yeah, ya screwed up, but… you really think your folks would hate you for this?"

Blake swallowed. "Why wouldn't they? My dad spent his whole life building up the White Fang, and Adam tore it all down in three years… and I helped him do it."

"When was the last time you talked to them?" Ruby asked quietly.

Blake thought for a moment. "About… ten months ago. After I was sure Adam didn't know where I was, I worked up the nerve to call home. My mom answered. I… I couldn't tell her what had really happened. I told her I wanted to try something different, separate to the Fang. I had the idea to become a real Huntress, and enroll at Beacon. She was… surprisingly okay with it. She wished me luck… told me she'd be proud of me no matter what I did... and… that was the last time I spoke to her."

Yang let out a long breath. "Geez… almost a year? That… really sucks, Blake."

Ruby let out a little whine of a hum, looking more than a little upset. "Are… are you sure you don't want to call them? They probably miss you."

Blake grimaced, meeting Ruby's silver eyes. "And I miss them, Ruby. But… I just can't face them, not after everything Adam and I did. I can't face them until I've dealt with the White Fang."

"Wait, 'dealt with'?" Weiss repeated, startled out of her deep musings. "Blake… the White Fang is huge! You can't just deal with them by yourself!"

Blake stared back at her, defiantly. "I have to! No one knows the White Fang like I do. No one else knows how they operate. Except now, they're changing. More brazen robberies, becoming more violent; working with that Torchwick guy? Adam's White Fang has _never_ worked with humans, let alone taken orders from one. If I wait too long, what I know about the White Fang could be useless. They're getting ready for something big, and no one seems to be doing anything about it!"

Weiss flinched back as Blake's voice rose to a near yell. The worry, the fear, the sheer desperation Blake was feeling at that moment washed over her like raging river. Ruby and Yang reacted similarly, Ruby biting her lip as she felt Blake's emotions.

Weiss met Blake's intense stare with her own. Then she sighed, crossing her arms. "So what do you suggest we do, Blake? We're students, still learning. Even if you have inside information, we can't take on an army by ourselves."

Blake's ears dipped down at her words. Nice as the thought was, she knew an outright fight against the White Fang would be suicide. That's not even to mention Adam. One-on-one, she had no doubts who would win in that fight. The she had the mental image of, instead of fighting him herself, it was _Ruby_ trying to fight Adam. Then she pictured Yang… then Weiss...

A shiver went down her spine, her stomach turning cold. Forget the White Fang, just Adam by himself would be more than a match for any one of them.

Rather than a sigh, it was a feline whine that escaped past Blake's lips as she crossed her arms, same as Weiss, glaring down at the ground. "I know. But if I just knew what they were doing… It would be a start, at least."

"Well," Ruby started. "Why don't we do that? The White Fang are somewhere in Vale, right? Why don't we find them and spy on them?"

Weiss sighed. "Ruby, all the law enforcement in Vale are trying to do that right now, with no success. What luck would the four of us have to do what they can't?"

"Well, I think it's worth a shot." Yang said, her trademark grin slowly spreading across her face. "I could ask around some of the nightclubs I go to. Someone might know where to find this Torchwick guy."

Weiss raised an eyebrow at the blonde, looking both bemused and exasperated. "I should really be more surprised that your local hangout might know where a known criminal is." Yang's grin just grew, and Weiss shook her head. She focused back on Blake. "I suppose I could try and access the SDC records. Maybe I could see if they've found something we don't know about."

Blake's ears perked up a little, surprise and gratitude coming off her. "I can ask around and see when the next White Fang rally is. If I'm lucky, they might say something about their future plans."

"Alright!" Ruby clapped her hands together, jumping up from her chair. "We have a plan! Team RWBY is going to be the youngest group of Huntresses in history to ever take down a scary terrorist organization!"

Weiss rolled her eyes at Ruby's excitement. "I'm pretty sure we'd be the only group of Huntresses to ever pull something like that off."

"Even better!" Ruby beamed.

Weiss just sighed, a fond smile tugging on her lips. "Well, if we're going to do this, I want to have a bit more to the plan then what we have." She pulled out her scroll, and started typing.

"Oh! Good idea." Ruby went to do the same… then started to frantically pat at her pockets. "Uh… where's my scroll?"

Weiss huffed in exasperation. "When was the last time you used it?"

Ruby thought for a moment. "Um… Oh! When we were in the library." A few seconds ticked past, before Ruby's eyes widened in a panic. "I left my scroll in the library!" Without another word, she ran out of the room. There was a loud thud from down the hall, Ruby's voice echoing as she exclaimed. "Whoops! Sorry!"

Weiss rolled her eyes again, still staring at her scroll. "That girl, I swear…" Her air of indifference was ruined by the small, upward curve of her lips as she typed away at her scroll.

Blake watched all this with a smile on her face. The way Ruby and Weiss interacted was entertaining before, but now that she could feel what they did, it added a whole new layer to how Blake saw them. Ruby's genuineness to everything she did, the way Weiss tried to be annoyed by everything she did.

A small nudge on her arm drew Blake's attention to the girl beside her. Yang had a small smile on her face.

"What?"

Instead of answering, Yang leaned in close, surprising Blake with a kiss. After a brief moment, Blake returned it, he eyes sliding closed.

Across the room, Weiss looked up from her scroll, feeling the sudden spike of contentment from the partners. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of them kissing. Strangely, while she expected to feel jealousy or the like, Weiss only felt contentedness herself, as if the fact that they were happy made her happy as well. Her eyes went back to her scroll, save a chancing glance at them on last time.

The two pulled away after a few seconds. Blake, her cheeks warm, tilted her head slightly, asking a silent question.

Yang gave a half-smile draping her arm across Blake's shoulders. "Looked like you could use a pick-me-up."

Blake smiled back, leaning into Yang's side. For a few moments, the only sound in the room was the tapping of Weiss fingers on her scroll.

"So," Yang started. "If we fix this whole White Fang thing, you going to call your parents?"

Blake's ears lowered slightly, a familiar ache forming in her chest at the thought of her parents. "If we can clean up the mess Adam and I made… then, maybe… I hope so."

Yang nodded, agreeing. "Good." Her grin suddenly widened, turning into a mischievous smirk. "'Cause I'd like to meet me and Ruby's new in-laws."

There was a sudden clattering sound from across the room. Weiss stared at the partners with wide eyes, her scroll having slipped from her fingers. "In-laws?" She asked, her voice rising a few octaves.

"In-laws?" Blake echoed faintly, her ears drooping as low as the could as she pulled slightly away from Yang.

At their reaction, Yang let out a sheepish laugh, rubbing at the back of her head. "Well, Blake, you _did_ say that Mating is kind of the Faunus equivalent to getting engaged. That means your parents are our in-laws now… right?"

Blake swallowed. Through everything, _that_ thought had somehow slipped her mind. But now that Yang mentioned it… "Well… In a way…"

"Oh…" Weiss buried her head in her hands, letting out a helpless whimper. "Oh no…"

"Weiss?" Blake asked, confused by her action. "What's wrong?"

Weiss pulled her head up, fixing Blake with a rather blank look. "Blake, you're the princess of Menagerie, right?"

Blake growled slightly, her ears pinning back. "I am _not_ -"

"I know what you said!" Weiss half-shouted, cutting of Blake's indignant insistence. "But to the world at large, that's what they'd see you as, right?"

Blake gave a grunt of annoyance. "Most likely," she relented, reluctantly. "Why?"

Weiss expression morphed into a helpless grimace. "Blake… the princess of Menagerie… the Faunus safe-haven… is _engaged_ … to the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company."

It took a moment for Weiss' words to really sink in. When they did, Blake's eyes widened as much as they could, her ears standing straight up on her head. Yang looked between them both, shock on her face as if she was just realizing the full implications of what Weiss said. And though Weiss hadn't said it out loud, it didn't stop Blake from realizing:

The Chieftain of Menagerie now had a Schnee for a daughter-in-law.

Yang summed it all up nicely.

"Well… this just got a lot more complicated."

* * *

 **Unknown Location**

Roman Torchwick looked around the warehouse, watching as various White Fang grunts scurried from place to place, setting the stage for the next day's rally. He turned around, looking up at a large form, covered in a massive sheet.

 _Tougher armor, stronger servos… not to mention all my little_ additions _, hehehe…_

Roman smirked at the thought. He was almost hoping things would go wrong, just to give him an excuse…

 _Okay, Little Red, Kitty Cat. Hit me with your best shot. I'm ready for ya this time._

* * *

 **Place in the RWBY Timeline: Welcome to Beacon**

 **A/n: Well, there's Blake's history. I hope I did a good job at it.**

 **Happy New years everyone! Here's hoping this one is better than the last one!**

 **Wow… I've been writing this thing for over a year… and I'm nowhere close to finished yet. Thank you, all of you, for sticking with my weird little story for this long. I hope you'll all keep reading as we go on into the future.**

 **So long, 2016. We had our ups, we had our downs… a lot of downs… but now, it's over. Time to keep moving forward. I'll see you all in 2017!**


	27. Chapter 27: Information Gathering Part 1

**Chapter 27: Information Gathering, Part 1**

 **Beacon Entrance**

"Uh, I thought that class would never end." Blake groaned as she adjusted the wraps on her arms. The four Mates made their way through the halls of Beacon, each checking over their weapons and equipment.

Walking beside her, Ruby fussed with her scarf, trying her hardest to get it to sit right. "I know, right? I mean, why do we need a Grimm Studies class every other weekend- oh, dang it!"

"You need some help there, Sis?" Yang asked as she slipped Ember Celica onto her arms, a smirk in her voice.

"No, No, I almost got it! I just need… maybe… okay, yes." Ruby muttered dejectedly, her arms hanging limply in defeat as her new scarf hung undone around her neck.

Yang chuckled, then went to help her sister. The group came to a stop just inside the courtyard as Yang wrapped and re-wrapped the scarf around Ruby's neck, the younger girl craning her neck to give her sister space. Weiss rolled her eyes, then kept reading the checklist she'd made on her scroll.

Blake shook her head at their antics. Ruby had had the idea that they all needed "stealth outfits" for when they were searching Vale for clues about the White Fang and Roman Torchwick. Weiss hadn't seen much point to it, but to her surprise, Blake had agreed. Her usual outfit was the same one she'd worn during her time with the White Fang, so a change of clothes made sense, just in case someone she knew was at the rally. Yang hadn't really cared one way or the other, though, after hearing Blake's reasoning, she agreed on the outfit change, much to Ruby's joy.

They'd each done some digging through their belongings and managed to throw together some new outfits from what they had, save Blake, who hadn't come to Beacon with much more than a few changes of her usual clothes. Thankfully, Weiss had a white jacket that fit Blake perfectly.

Honestly, for being thrown together at the last minute, Blake had to admit that her Mates' new outfits were pretty good. Though, she had a feeling that Yang's jacket didn't have to be _quite_ that tight… and the smirk Yang sent her when she was caught staring confirmed it for her.

The only issue was Ruby's. The little leader wanted to wear a scarf with her outfit, one that matched her cloak. The problem was, once she put it on, the scarf completely covered her Mate's Mark. For Ruby, this was a crisis.

"You don't _have_ to show your Mate's Mark off, Ruby," Blake reminded her for the third time. "It's just something some Faunus like to do." _Myself included_ , she added silently in her head.

"Yeah," Ruby conceded. "But you said they show off their Marks because they're happy they got it, right? Well, I'm happy I have it, and I want them all to know it!"

Blake couldn't stop the slight grin forming on her lips. Happiness and contentedness came off of her, easily picked up by the three. Ruby smiled at having made Blake so happy.

Yang, however, was frowning. "Well, I hate to tell ya, Rubes, but that ain't happening if you try and wear this thing." She pulled the offending scarf off of Ruby's neck, giving up her fight with it. "It's just too big."

Ruby pouted, taking the scarf from Yang. "Aww… But it looked so cool!"

"Do you even need a scarf?" Weiss asked, looking up from her scroll. "It's not that cold out."

Ruby slumped a little, feeling bashful as she stuffed the scarf into her back pocket. "Well… no… but it looked cool!"

Yang snorted, fighting a smile. Weiss raised an eyebrow at her, then groaned. "Puns…" she grumbled. Then she turned serious, looking over her team. "Okay, so everyone knows where they're going?"

Ruby nodded, a confident smile on her face. "Yep. Me and you are going to go to the CCT tower and get all the info the SDC has on the White Fang."

"There should be a White Fang recruitment rally downtown tonight." Blake said. "I'll mingle with the crowd and see if I hear anything of interest."

"And I'll head down to my usual nightclub. "Yang added. "See if I can find anything out on this Torchwick guy." A sudden sense of worry drew her attention to the girl next to her, finding worried blue eyes staring at her. "Something wrong, Weiss?"

Weiss stiffened at the attention, then looked away. "Nothing."

Yang frowned, putting her hands on her hips. "It's something. What?"

Weiss eyes darted back to Yang, then to Blake. "Nothing, I just…" She sighed, averting her gaze. "I looked up where that nightclub is. It's in one of the riskier parts of the city."

Yang tilted her head. "Yeah. And? That's what makes it so fun to go to!"

Weiss bit her lip nervously. "But… is it safe?"

Yang blinked. She crossed her arms, a small smirk forming on her lips. "Weiss, I can bench 850 and punch Grimm into powder. I can handle myself if some morons try to pull something." Weiss didn't look convinced, so Yang added, "You guys are gonna meet me there afterwards anyway. It'll be fine."

Weiss' frown lessened slightly, Yang's bright smile giving the heiress a bit more confidence. That confidence came crashing down the moment she turned to Blake, her trepidation felt by all. "What about you, Blake? Are you sure you'll be okay going to that rally… alone?"

Blake mirrored Weiss' worried expression for a moment, before giving her a reassuring smile. "I'll be okay, Weiss. Everyone will be wearing masks, myself included. Even if someone I know _is_ there, they won't notice me once I'm in the crowd."

"Besides," Yang piped in. "If Blake's right about where the rally is, it'll be just a couple blocks from the nightclub. Something happens to either of us, the other will be right there to back them up."

Weiss nodded, conceding the point, but still held her frown. "I know that. It's the fact that something _could_ happen to you too that worries me. I just..." She huffed, her brow wrinkling in thought. "I don't like you two going off by yourselves."

Yang held in a groan. "We'll be _fine_ , Weiss. Sheesh, I didn't peg you as the mother hen type."

She instantly regretted her dismissive words when Weiss glared at her, her anger spiking. "Well forgive me for wanting the few people important to me to stay safe!"

Yang quickly backtracked, throwing her hands up in defense. "Hey, I didn't mean it like that! I just..."

"Whoa, time out!" Ruby suddenly flashed between the two, holding her arms out to separate them. She'd stayed quiet as the three had talked, figuring that Blake and Yang could handle Weiss worries themselves, but between Weiss anger and Yang's telltale signs of being about to go on the defensive, Ruby had to stop this before it began. A Weiss/Yang argument could last hours, and they didn't have time for that right now. Plus, she doubted Weiss would like to make a scene with so many people around.

Turning to Weiss, Ruby said. "Weiss, Yang has been going to this club for a while now. She knows her way around it. And Blake knows the White Fang. If she thinks she'll be okay on her own, we should trust her. Right?"

Weiss hesitated, surprised by Ruby's interruption. She scowled for a moment, before her face softened to a pout. She crossed her arms, looking down. "I suppose…"

Ruby smiled brightly. "Yeah. And besides," She put a finger to her temple, tapping it. "It's not like they'd be completely alone, right?"

Weiss blinked. She was confused for a moment, the realized: the Link. With it, she would know her girlfriends' emotions at any time. She'd… always be with them. A warm feeling built in her chest at the thought.

Uncrossing her arms, Weiss gave a small, sheepish smile. "I'm being silly, aren't I?"

Blake smiled, shaking her head. "Not really. You're just worried about us. Just trust that we know what we're doing, okay?"

Yang grinned, tussling Weiss hair a little. "We'll be okay, Weiss. It's cute that you care, though.

Weiss huffed, batting away Yang's hand, but nodded all the same. "Fine. I still wish you had someone to go with you, but if you're sure you'll both be okay… I suppose I'll get over it."

Ruby nodded. "Okay then, if that's taken care of, then let's get out there and find those bad guys!"

" _Yeah! Let's… whoa."_

Ruby blinked at the sudden shout behind her, as did the rest of her team. All four of them turned towards the voice.

* * *

 **Moments Earlier**

"It's unfair, I tell you! Completely unfair!"

The eyes of passerbys were drawn to the constant shouting of the young man walking up one of Beacon's many path's away from the cafeteria. He had his hands stuffed in his pockets, his head down as his blonde-furred monkey tail swept from side to side in agitation.

"Yes, yes, I figured that out the first dozen times you told me." Said the blue haired boy walking beside him, exasperation clear in his voice.

Sun shot Neptune a brief glare of annoyance. "Well, it is! What did I do to deserve being put under house arrest? Name one thing, just one!"

Neptune raised an eyebrow at his friend and leader, a look that clearly asked 'are-you-serious?' "Well, let's see," He started, counting each point of on his fingers. "You left the school without permission, you broke into a restricted part of the harbor, stowed away illegally on a cargo ship, evaded police…"

Sun's shoulders slumped, lowering a little bit more with each point. "I only asked for one…"

Neptune continued like Sun hadn't said anything. "Broke into the restricted part of _another_ harbor, got into an unauthorized fight with known criminals…"

"Hey, that one shouldn't count! Besides, Blake and Ruby were there too, and I doubt they got locked in a hotel with the Haven faculty for a week!"

Neptune fixed Sun with a stern glare. "Probably because they didn't go around bragging to every classmate they came across about how they took on a terrorist organization and 'won.' Which did not happen by the way, since you told me it was some girl with magic swords and laser beams that took them down." He let out a breath, trying to calm himself. "Sun, you're lucky it was just a week. By all rights, you should have been kicked out of the tournament, if not expelled."

Sun rolled his eyes, a small smirk worming it's way onto his face. "Wow, Nep, glad to know you care about my education."

Neptune responded with a smirk of his own. "Me, care? Naw. You're our team leader. You get kicked out, the rest of us can't compete."

Sun snorted. "Yeah, yeah. So, I miss anything during my stay at Hotel Haven?"

Neptune shrugged. "Not really, but I haven't exactly been socializing with the Beacon students. Mostly just stayed in the Haven dorms, reading up on the Festival."

Sun let out a groan. "Well, that sucks. Guess I'll just have to ask Blake myself."

"Ask her what?"

"About when we're going to go after that Torchwick guy."

Neptune blinked. "Oh." They walked a few more steps, before Neptune came to a screeching halt, a baffled look on his face. "Wait, what!? Sun, you _just_ got back from a suspension because you fought that guy. Why the hell are you going to do it again?"

Sun shrugged, not even stopping as he continued up the path. "Why not? There's something weird going on with the White Fang and this guy, and I want to know what it is. Plus, it sure beats sitting around until the Festival starts."

Neptune let out a groan, sprinting to keep up. "Oh, yeah," He drawled, voice thick with sarcasm. "Tracking down a mobster and his legion of Faunus cultists. Sounds like a real blast."

Sun slapped Neptune on the back, grinning widely. "Glad you agree. Thanks for volunteering!"

Neptune's eyes widened, a sharp denial on his lips. His mouth soon snapped shut, his eyes narrowing as he glared at Sun. "I'm not getting out of this, am I?"

Sun just smirked. "What do you think?"

Neptune just groaned.

A small chuckled came from Sun. "Hey, look at it this way: either everything will go great, which is more likely to happen if you help, or we'll both get kicked out of the tournament, which would have happened anyway if I got in trouble by myself."

Neptune stared at Sun, his left eye twitching. Then he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to ward of his oncoming headache. "We get caught, Scarlet and Sage are going to kill you." He said simply.

Sun laughed it off. "Aw, they'll be fine. Now, I think Blake said her dorm was on the third floor…"

Neptune gave the surrounding buildings an appraising look. "Yeah, that's not really specific." While he had to admit Beacon was impressive to look at, for the life of him, Neptune couldn't tell one building from another. And they were all huge. Finding one dorm room out of the likely hundreds in the surrounding buildings would take forever.

Sun just shrugged again. "She said there was a tree across from her window. That should make things easier."

Neptune gave the grounds another once-over, focusing on the building they were walking beside. There were trees everywhere, plenty of which were near various windows. _I doubt it…_ Neptune thought to himself as they neared a turn around the building's corner, dreading the likelihood chasing Sun all over the campus in the search of the Team RWBY dorm. And knowing Sun, he'd probably have Neptune do something weird, like climb the outside of the building to search.

 _It wouldn't be the first time..._

He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Sun start mumbling to himself. "Now, where to start looking… maybe-"

" _Well forgive me for wanting the few people important to me to stay safe!"_

They both froze at the sudden yell, just steps away from rounding the corner.

"...right around the corner." Sun finished, blinking. He gave a bemused grin. "Well, that was easy." He went to keep walking, when Neptune grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.

"Uh, Sun, if I'm not mistaken, that sounded like Weiss, and she does _not_ sound happy. Maybe we should try this later?"

Sun waved him off. "Nep, relax. If it's really a bad time, the worst they can do is tell us to get lost."

"Yeah, but-" Before Neptune could continue, Sun pulled away from him and nearly sprinted around the corner. He could only sigh as he moved to keep up. "This is gonna end badly," He mumbled to himself as he shook his head.

Sun rounded the corner, nearly colliding with a group of Beacon students that chose just that moment to do the same. He quickly dodged out of the way, shouting a quick apology when he nearly collided with a brown-haired rabbit Faunus. Ignoring the dirty look he got from the beret wearing girl next to her, Sun scanned the courtyard for the source of the yell he'd heard. To his relief he found the whole of Team RWBY, standing off to the side of the building's entrance. He started over to them right when he heard Ruby's happy shout.

" _Okay then, if that's taken care of, then let's get out there and find those bad guys!"_

Sun's grin grew. _Wow, talk about perfect timing._ "Yeah!" He shouted, laughing internally as he pictured the surprised looks he'd likely get. "Let's…

"...

His grin quickly faded away, his mirth turning into shock.

"...whoa." He breathed out, his voice faint.

The four girls turned to face him, and Sun could only stare dumbly back at them.

The first thing he noticed was Blake's ears . Specifically, her Faunus ears, which were currently on full display, no bow in sight, right in plain view of the rather crowded courtyard. Given what he'd learned about Blake the previous month, that alone would have been enough to give him pause. However, what Sun _saw_ took an immediate back seat to what he _felt_.

The moment Sun laid eyes on Blake, his shoulders suddenly felt heavier. It was as if someone had come up behind him and clasped him on the shoulders, ready to lead him away from where he was at a moment's notice. It was a feeling he had felt dozens of times throughout his life, especially since he started spending time in big cities where there were more and more people around. On instinct, his eyes flicked towards Blake's neck. Sure enough, there was a multi-colored design on her skin that had not been there the previous week.

 _She's… already Mated to someone. Well… dammit…_

Sun felt his stomach sink, his shoulders slumping. He knew it'd been a long shot, especially given Blake's reluctance to let people in, and the fact she'd made it clear that they were just friends. But there was a large part of him that couldn't help but be attracted to the cat Faunus. He'd been hoping that once she'd gotten to know him a little better, she'd be willing to give him a shot.

 _So much for that…_ He thought to himself dejectedly.

"Sun?"

The surprised, somewhat concerned call of his name pulled Sun out of his thoughts. He blinked, suddenly finding amber eyes staring into his own.

Blake was frowning at him, looking concerned. Once he met her gaze, Blake tilted her head in confusion, then, her eyes widened. Her features softened in understanding, then she looked at him almost… apologetic?

After a second, Sun groaned internally. _Crap, I must have had some look on my face._ Thinking fast, Sun flashed her his usual grin, nodding to her. She had nothing to apologize for. It wasn't like he had said anything to her, not seriously. It stung a bit, no doubt, but that wasn't her fault. _Though, now I'm curious. I wonder who…?_

Unconsciously, Sun's eyes drifted to the side, landing on Yang… and quickly had that feeling in his shoulders again.

 _Oh…_ He thought in surprise, once his eyes landed on the same Mark Blake had. _Well… they are partners, so I guess that makes sense… Didn't think Blake swung that way, though._

"Are you okay, Sun?"

Once again pulled from his thoughts, Sun turned towards the lighter voice. "Yeah, sorry about that Ruuuu…" He trailed off, staring at the young leader in shock.

 _Uh… okay… That's different. Blake has more than one Mate? Didn't see that coming. I didn't even know she and Ruby were that close. Though, Ruby was the one who showed up at the docks, so maybe they're closer then I thought… wait..._

Ignoring the odd look Ruby was giving him, Sun looked closer at the Mate's Mark on her neck, really analyzing it. Now that he could see it up close, he could tell that it was mostly made up of four different symbols. Three of them were vaguely familiar to him, having only taken notice of them once or twice, but it was the fourth that he recognize instantly. Not too difficult, seeing how that particular symbol was slapped onto everything from bullets to toothpaste.

 _No way._ Slowly, Sun turned his head towards the last member of Team RWBY, meeting the impatient stare of Weiss Schnee, who had her arms crossed in annoyance.

The same Weiss Schnee that had the same Mark as the rest of her team. The same Weiss Schnee that was giving off a very familiar feeling as he stared at her.

Weiss Schnee was Faunus' Mate.

Weiss Schnee was _Blake's_ Mate.

 _...okay, now I'm just lost._

"Uh, dude? You okay?"

Sun pulled his eyes slowly away from Weiss, finding that Neptune had caught up to him and was looking at him like he'd lost it.

Sun stared at Neptune for a moment, then looked back the four girls. After a few seconds, he asked Neptune, "I was only gone a week… right?"

Neptune nodded warily, still eyeing his friend and partner. "Yeah…"

Sun kept staring at him, then slowly focused back on Team RWBY.

 _...must have been one hell of a week._

Sun rubbed the back of his neck, grinning sheepishly. "Hehe… sorry about that. Just kinda… surprised me there."

To his immense relief, Yang smirked, letting out a laugh. "Yeah, we've kinda been getting that all day."

"Getting what?" Neptune asked with a frown. Between the way Sun was acting and how the looks they were getting from the girls of Team RWBY (seriously, _why_ was Weiss glaring at Sun like he just made a bad joke?) , he had the distinct feeling that he was missing something.

Sun looked back at him, his expression indecisive as his eyes flicked between Neptune and Blake. "Uh…" After a moment, Blake gave him a small nod, confusing Neptune even more. _Since when does Sun take queues from Blake?_ Sun, however, still seemed a bit lost himself, so he leaned over and whispered to Neptune, "It's a Faunus thing. I'll explain later."

"Ohh…" Neptune droned, understanding… well, sorta. Never having been around Faunus much before meeting Sun, Neptune had fallen into the occasional social pitfall when certain subjects came up. Luckily, Sun was usually there to explain things… unluckily, it was usually _after_ he'd already accidentally insulted someone, but still, points for trying.

Sun, his usual grin back in place, put his hands on his hips as he turned to address the girls. "So, what's this I hear about 'finding those bad guys?' 'Cause, if it's what I think it is, we want in!"

"We?" Neptune muttered, sending a halfhearted glare at Sun, which was promptly ignored.

Blake frowned at him. "Sun, we already have everything planned out, for just the _four_ of us." She put extra emphasis on the word 'four', her eyes narrowing dangerously.

Sun felt a small chill go up his spine. He'd been on the receiving end of _that_ tone of voice more than once, one that clearly stated, 'This is Mates business, back off.' It rarely, if ever, turned out well for him.

Still, thin ice or not, he wasn't ready to back down just yet. "So, you have a plan that's completely safe, no danger whatsoever?"

The answer he got nearly made him bust out laughing. Blake's ears dipped down a bit, her eyes widening ever so slightly. Weiss frowned, biting her lip as her eyes flicked between Blake and Yang. Ruby rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, looking of to the side. Yang just crossed her arms, looking annoyed.

"It's safe...ish." Ruby eventually said.

Sun raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh. So there's no denying that more people would make it safe _r_."

Blake let out a huff, a pleading look in her eye. "We were hoping not to involve our friends in this, Sun."

Sun couldn't help but scoff. "You kidding? Charging headlong into danger is the perfect time to involve friends. Why do you think I brought Neptune?" He jerked his thumb towards said friend, who scowled halfheartedly at him, but nodded in agreement nonetheless. "Besides, in case you forgot, I was at the docks that night too." Sun's eyes went towards the sky as he remembered. "Between you, me, and Ruby, we got our butts kicked. Might've been kicked permanently if that girl with all the swords hadn't been there." Then he blinked, realizing something. "Whatever happened to her, anyway?"

It was Ruby who shrugged at him, frowning. "Dunno. Penny disappeared after the fight, and I haven't seen her since."

Sun hummed. "Bummer. But still, my point stands. C'mon, guys. Strength in numbers, teamwork, all that jazz?"

It was silent for a moment. Then, strangely, Ruby, Blake, and Yang all turned towards Weiss. The heiress glanced between them all, biting her lip nervously. Blake and Ruby turned thoughtful, while Yang let out a frustrated groan. "Really, Weiss?"

The heiress pouted, her eyes soft. "Please, Yang?"

Yang held her gaze for a few seconds. Then she let out a sigh, hanging her head. "Dust dammit." She muttered to herself. She raised her head, her annoyance clear. "Fine! If it really makes you feel better, Weiss, someone can tag along with me." Her annoyance abated slightly when Weiss gave her a grateful smile. Yang rolled her eyes, a small half-smile forming.

Neptune looked between the two of them, baffled. _What just happened?_ He went to ask Sun if he knew what was going on, but when his friend caught his gaze, he just mouthed "later." That just made Neptune even more confused, but he left it alone for the moment.

Speaking to the group as a whole, Yang asked. "So, what's the plan now?"

Blake still looked unsure, but after a moment's contemplation, she nodded. "We stick to the old plan, just now we'll be in teams of two. Ruby and Weiss will go to the CCT. Since he's the only other Faunus, Sun can come with me to the White Fang rally and gather information. That okay?" She asked Sun, focusing on him.

A sly smirk formed Sun's lips. "Go undercover to a secret Terrorist meetup? Sounds like fun!"

Yang nodded, then turned to Neptune. "Guess that means you're with me. Quick question: do you like motorcycles?"

Neptune blinked at the apparently random question. "Uh… what?"

In answer, Yang grinned in a way that reminded Neptune _way_ to much of when Sun got one of his 'great' ideas. He gulped. _What has Sun gotten me into?_

Ruby clapped, beaming. "Great! Now, let's get started!" Hopping from foot-to-foot, Ruby took off down the path at a speed just under running.

Weiss let out an exasperated sigh. "Ruby! Wait for me!" Before she left, Weiss turned back to the others, focusing on Sun and Neptune. She hesitated for a moment, before softly asking. "Watch out for Yang and Blake… please?"

Neptune blinked. Given what little he'd known about the Schnee family, he'd expected Weiss to be businesslike and professional all the time. But the clear concern in her voice… it was kind of endearing. Cute even.

Behind him, Sun gave Weiss a thumbs-up. "No problem, boss! I'll bring her back the same as she is." Blake rolled her eyes at him, arms crossed. She smiled at Weiss, nodding.

Neptune nodded as well. "I'll watch her back. You can count on me." For good measure, he winked at her.

Weiss blinked back at him in surprise. Her cheeks tinted slightly. "U-um… thanks!" She stammered out. Then she took off after Ruby, who had become just a red dot in the distance.

Neptune looked after her, confused. _That… wasn't quite the reaction I was expecting._

"Oh, dude…"

Neptune turned around at Sun's resigned voice. The Monkey Faunus was shaking his head, hand slapped over his face. Neptune tilted his head at him.

 _What? What'd I do?_

A sudden chill went up his spine. Looking away from Sun, he found Blake and Yang glaring at him. Their happy smiles were gone, replaced with sharp frowns as their eyes bored into him. What freaked him out the most was how Blake's eyes were now slitted, while Yang's burned red.

With quick stiff steps, Yang walked towards him and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him towards the airfield. "C'mon. We have to grab my bike." She growled out, her voice leaving no room for debate.

Neptune let out a quick "whoa!" as Yang nearly pulled his arm out of it's socket. As he was dragged off, we looked back towards Sun for aid. Sun just shrugged helplessly. "Good luck, dude!" He called out, smiling sheepishly.

Neptune just glared back at him.

* * *

 **Place in the RWBY Timeline: A Minor Hiccup**

 **A/n: Sorry, Neptune. I like ya, but that's what you get when you hit on Weiss in my story.**

 **To anyone wondering why this chapter took so long, all I can say is: F*** THIS CHAPTER! Seriously, all I wanted was to make a chapter of Sun finding out about Blake and her Mates, to get a point of view from someone who had been out of the loop during all of it. What I didn't count on was how** _ **freaking**_ _ **hard**_ **it is for me to write him and Neptune. I'm still not fully satisfied with what I have, but after three weeks, this is about as good as it's gonna get.**

 **If anyone has any tips on how to write them better, y'know, get in their heads a bit, I'm all ears. They're not going to be in the story a lot, but they'll be around enough that I want them to sound like themselves whenever I need to bring them in.**

 **Anyways, next chapter is when the fun stuff starts. Expect a little action, a little drama, a whole bunch of fluffy WhiteRose goodness. And the introduction of, hands down, my favorite RWBY character of all time.**

 **Let it begin!**


	28. Chapter 28: Information Gathering Part 2

**Chapter 28: Information Gathering, Part 2**

 **The Streets of Vale**

 _Sun, I hate you so much right now._

Neptune clung for dear life to the blonde in front of him as the world passed by in a blur. In any other situation, holding a girl this close would be a dream come true. Blasting down the highway at twice the legal limit, however, kind of stole away any enjoyment he might have had.

Not helped that Yang drove like a complete psycho! Ever since they hit the road, Yang hadn't stayed in the same lane any longer then a few seconds, weaving through traffic like everyone else was standing still. Why the cops hadn't stopped them yet would forever be a mystery.

A sudden jerk of the handlebars sent Yang's motorcycle hurtling to the right, and Neptune could have sworn he felt the bike leave the ground for a second. He clenched his eyes shut as he heard a horn blare for just a second before it faded into the distance.

 _This girl is trying to kill me._

To Neptune, there was no question about it: For some reason, Yang hated him. It was the only explanation for why she was putting him through the bike ride from hell. She didn't even give him a helmet!

 _Seriously, what did I DO!?_

Tires screeched as the bike made a sharp turn. More horns. Neptune would have lost his lunch if he hadn't left his stomach about five miles behind.

 _Will this ever end!?_

 _ **Screech!**_

Suddenly, Neptune felt all his weight get thrown forward.

 _ **Thud!**_

Neptune saw stars as his head collided with the back of Yang's helmet. Between the impact and the sudden stop, he lost all sense of balance, falling sideways off the bike. Completely dazed, he stared up at the spinning blue sky, the occasional cloud drifting by.

 _Oh, look!_ He thought as his frazzled mind tried to reboot. _That one looks like dolphin!_

A shadow then fell over him. Lavender eyes stared down at him, curved brows arched above them. "Uh… you okay?"

Neptune blinked, several times. "Um…" He droned, trying his hardest to focus on the girl above him. "Depends… are there suppose to be three of you?"

He heard a scoff, and the lavender eyes rolled. "Jeez… okay, dude, up we go." The world spun anew as Neptune felt himself get lifted straight off the ground by his armpits. He was set down moments later in a sitting position, his back pressed against something solid.

As the world slowly stopped spinning, he heard Yang chuckle slightly. "Yeesh. C'mon, man, it wasn't that bad."

Neptune lifted his head, looking up at the girl (girls? Still seemed like there was more then one of her). "I've never been on a motorcycle before. And now…" He groaned as he felt his stomach catch up to him. "... I don't think I ever will again."

At that, Yang's smirk faltered ever-so-slightly. "Okay, maybe I overdid it a little."

"Ya think?" Neptune groaned as the world finally came to a stop. He took a moment to take in his surroundings. Yang had leaned him up against the side of a building, and a neon glow shined above his head. Looking around, he saw that all the surrounding buildings seemed to be in bad shape, not quite falling in on themselves, but a far cry from the gleaming Vale towers he'd gotten used to seeing.

"Where… are we?" He asked as he slowly pushed himself to his feet.

Yang gave him that terrifying smirk again. Why, oh why, had the Goddesses paired him with a girl that was somehow crazier than his best friend? "This," Yang started, turning towards the closest buildings entrance. "Is Junior's Nightclub. Best place in Vale to find a good time… so long as you came put up with the locals."

Neptune followed her gaze, watching as a drunken man twice his size was thrown out the front door by an even larger man in a black shirt and sunglasses.. _Charming_ , he thought to himself. Then, when the apparent bouncer caught sight of him and Yang standing just outside the door, he took a step back, shock and dread clear on his face, then bolted back inside. Frantic yelling could be heard as the door closed behind him.

"And, um…" Neptune asked, confused by the man's reaction… and perturbed by the widening smirk on Yang's lips. "Why, exactly. are we here?"

Yang glanced at him as she started towards the door, Neptune reluctantly following. "Well, the place tends to attract a certain kind of crowd. Some of them a little more…" She thought for the right word. " _Independent_ then you'd find in other places around the city. I'm hoping someone might know where we could find this Torchwick guy, or at least point us in the right direction."

"Oh… great." Neptune slumped his shoulders as he followed Yang into the building, down a long hallway. When Yang fell silent, Neptune took it as an opportunity to ask the real question that was bugging him. "So… you gonna tell me what I did to piss you off, or should I just start begging for mercy in general?"

Yang glanced at him, a little surprised by his question. Then she looked away, a slight snort sounding as her lips twitched upwards. "You royally screwed up."

Neptune rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I got that. _How_ , exactly?"

Yang's grin widened. "Well, let's see. You openly flirt with Weiss, then I take you here the long way. What do you think?"

Neptune just barely kept from shouting " _The long way!?"_ , and instead considered her words. _Okay, she's ticked I hit on Weiss. Why? They're teammates, yeah, but I don't get why Yang would get that pissed at me. Yang shouldn't dictate who Weiss can and can't date. It's not like she's Weiss'-_

Neptune froze mid step, his eyes widening as his irises shrank.

 _Oh._

He slowly turned his gaze to Yang, who had paused beside him, eyebrow raised expectantly.

"...I hit on your girlfriend, didn't I?" It wasn't so much a question as a resigned statement.

Yang's smirk was all the confirmation he needed.

Neptune held in a groan as he realized that, yes, he _had_ royally screwed up. Awkward silence filled the hallway, broken only by the hushed whispers and sound of movement coming from the door at the end, muffled club music playing in the background. Accepting the, likely painful, experience he was about to go through, Neptune met Yang's eyes with blank look. "I'm going to guess a 'sorry' isn't going to cut it?"

Yang just looked at him for a few moments, eyebrow raised, smirk still in place. To Neptune's utter shock, all she did was slap him on the back (just hard enough that _maybe_ he wouldn't bruise), and started back down the hall. "Don't sweat it, man. You didn't know, so I won't hold it against you… that much."

Neptune stared after her in shock, before following after her. _Huh. Guess I'm lucky she's nice. I honestly thought she was gonna break my nose or something._

"'Course," Yang went on, not missing a beat. "Now that you know, you do it again, I'll break your legs."

Neptune swallowed. _Oh. So, not out of trouble, just on parole. Great._ "Understood." He said meekly, following behind Yang quietly. The muffled sounds were getting louder, but Yang didn't seem bothered by them in the slightest. Just as they reached the door, however, Neptune had a thought. "Wait. I get why _you_ were mad at me, but how'd I tick of Blake?"

Yang didn't turn around as she grasped the door handles. "Oh, that's easy. Weiss is her girlfriend, too."

It took a full second for Neptune to really process what she'd said. He did right when she pulled open the doors, his head snapping towards her. "Wait, what do you mean-"

"Guess who's back?" Yang yelled out as she stepped into the club, smiling widely.

-and Neptune suddenly found himself staring down the barrels of eight high-powered machine guns.

 _Sun, I take it back._ Now _, I hate you._

* * *

 **A Different Part of Vale, A Few Miles Away**

 _Well, it's official. This is the most awkward ride of my life._

Sun glanced out the taxi's window, watching as the bright building's of Vale were slowly turning older and darker the further into the city they went. Despite Blake telling him where the rally was, he still had no clue where they were going. But, Blake seemed confident about the location, so he trusted her judgment.

 _Speaking of which…_ Sun turned his eyes to girl beside him, ignoring the now familiar pressure in his shoulders.

Blake was staring out her window, just like he had been, except with her, Sun could almost _see_ the the nervousness pouring off of her. Her hands twitched in her lap, curling and uncurling in agitation. Her cat ears (which he still thought were weird to see, after the whole spiel she'd given him about wanting to fit in a month ago) were pointed straight up on her head, the left one flicking at random intervals. She was biting her lip.

 _She sure has a lot on her mind,_ Sun thought to himself. Since flagging down the cab shortly after landing in the city, Blake had barely said two words to him the entire time. Not that he really blamed her. After hearing her story, plus the things he'd heard about the White Fang on his own, Sun couldn't even imagine what she must be thinking about going back, however briefly.

Still, that didn't mean he was just going to let her stay wrapped up in her own head. Overthinking anything never ended well, so Sun felt Blake needed a distraction. Plus, maybe he could get some of the questions rattling around in his brain answered.

Time to break the ice.

With a sledgehammer.

"So, how's Mated life treating you?"

In an instant, Sun got the expected result. Blake's head snapped towards him with wide eyes, her cheeks tinting quickly. Her mouth opened partially as she floundered to respond, forcing Sun to withhold a laugh.

Eventually, Blake's mouth snapped shut, her eyes going back to the buildings passing by. "It's… going okay." She answered lamely, trying to will away her blush.

Sun couldn't help the brief chuckle that passed through his lips as he rested his elbows on his knees, grinning at her. "Blake, relax. It's a big deal, but it ain't _that_ big a deal, y'know?"

Blake eyed him out the corner of her eye, before releasing a sigh. "Sorry. It's just… you're the first person to actually say something about it since we finalized everything."

Sun blinked, surprised. "Oh… really? That's… odd."

Blake shook her head. "Not really. The humans in Beacon don't know a lot about Faunus culture, at least as far as I've seen. And the other Faunus, well… Beacon has a bit of a bullying problem."

At that, Sun snorted. "No kidding. Especially that one big guy. What's his name? Carrion? Cordin?"

"Cardin." Blake answered, some bite to her words.

"Yeah, that jackass. Moron tried to pull my tail in the hall last week."

Blake sent him a sympathetic look, her cat ears twitching slightly. "Unfortunately, Cardin's not the only student like that. Because of that, the Faunus at Beacon don't talk about our culture a lot. We've mostly just gotten smiles and nods. No one's said anything to us specifically."

Sun let out a hum, mulling over Blake's words. Then an honest smile spread over his lips. "Well then, allow me to be the first. Congratulations on finding your Mates, Blake."

Blake seemed taken aback for a moment. Then, she gave a small smile. "Thanks, Sun. That means a lot." A moment later, though, her smile fell as she met Sun's eyes. "Sun?" She asked hesitantly. "Back at Beacon, when you first saw us, were you… I mean, did you…"

"Have a huge crush on you?" Sun supplied helpfully, ginning knowingly.

Blake swallowed, unable to meet his eyes as she gave a small nod.

Sun chuckled lightly, leaning back in his seat. "Yeah, Blake, I did. Still do, a little bit." He waved off her distressed look. "It's cool, Blake. I'll get over it."

Blake's ears drooped nonetheless. "Sun, I'm sorry-"

"For what?" Sun cut her off. He shook his head, mostly at himself. "Blake, you didn't do anything wrong. Heck, you made it pretty clear last month that you weren't interested in me like that. It's my own fault for getting my hopes up anyways. I'll live." He shifted a little in his seat, an indecisive look playing across his face for a moment. "I have to ask, though," He started again, making his decision. "How'd this happen? 'Cause, I'm thinking pretty hard, but I can't remember anytime you hinted you were in a relationship over the last month."

Now it was Blake's turn to look uncomfortable. "That's… a long story."

Sun glanced out the window of the cab. The buildings they were passing, while needing a little work, didn't look anything like the near ruins Blake had described they were heading towards. "We've got time." He said, meeting Blake's eyes.

Blake hesitated. She bit her lip. "It's… kind of embarrassing."

Sun raised an eyebrow. "Okay, if you were trying to make me _less_ curious, that was _not_ the thing to say."

Blake let out a huff, her ears pinning back as she stared back out the window.

Sun groaned internally, mostly at himself. "Okay, no jokes, I get it." When she still wouldn't meet his eyes, Sun sighed. "Look, Blake, I don't need all the details or whatever. I'm just curious on how you four went from teammates to, y'know, _Mates_. Heck, If it wasn't for the Marks on your necks, I probably wouldn't of believed it."

Blake turned back to him, her eyes narrowed warningly. "Why not?"

Sun met her glare with a raised eyebrow, counting off on his fingers. "Okay, Mating a human; pretty common, see it a lot back home." Blake blinked at that, but Sun went on before she could comment. "Taking multiple Mates; not very common, but I know it happens. Multiple _human_ Mates?; Never heard of it personally, but I can see it happening. But the real kicker?" He leaned back in his seat, resting his arms on his lap. "Weiss."

Blake's ears perked up a bit, before folding back down. "What about her?" Blake asked, a challenge in her voice.

Sun just stared back, an expression on his face that conveyed a clear 'really?". "You got to admit, Blake; A Schnee hooking up with a Faunus? _Tell me_ if you had heard that a year ago, you wouldn't have called bullcrap."

Sun could tell he'd hit the nail on the head, if the way her twitching ear and uncomfortable expression was anything to go by. Blake let out a small breath, then said quietly. "Weiss is different. She's not her father."

Sun's eyebrows raised at that. Then a grin made it's way onto his lips. "Sounds like a glowing endorsement to me." He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Look, Blake, if you don't want to tell me, that's cool. I'm just… curious. I want to know the story,"

Blake watched him for a moment, then looked down. _Should I?_ She thought to herself. _It's personal… but he said he doesn't want all of the details. And I trusted him with my past… even before my Mates…_

She felt a small nudge against her head, seemingly from nowhere. A familiar warm sensation, followed shortly by a frosty and tingling feeling.

 _Curiosity. Worry. Calm._

Blake smiled. Even from different places across the city, her Mates had picked up on her worries and were trying to help, asking what's wrong. Focusing slightly, she sent back a feeling of reassurance and thankfulness.

 _I love this connection… Ruby and Yang said they didn't care if our relationship was public or not. And… Sun's trustworthy._

Blake nodded to herself, then turned towards Sun. "This never leaves this cab, okay?"

Sun, who had been watching at Blake's face suddenly went from troubled to relaxed, an idea as to why already forming, gave his signature grin. "Scout's honor."

Blake rolled her eyes, though a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Last week, after the four of us went to an arcade..."

* * *

 **Beacon Academy**

The center of Beacon Academy was bustling with activity. Between the visiting schools making their rounds and the regular students carrying on with their day-to-day, nothing seemed to stand still.

To Weiss, being at the center of such activity use to bring her no shortage of anxiety. Used to the emptiness of her family 'home,' or having a wall of bodyguards between her and the populace the few times she'd made a public appearance with her father, the idea of being so close to so many strangers was frightening to her.

Not that she'd let anyone know that. No, Weiss had learned early on how to keep others from seeing such 'weakness', as her father called it. Head held high, eyes narrowed, face blank; Look down on everyone for the sole reason that they are not you. The perfect facade to make people give her space.

The past few months, however, had been both a rude awakening and an absolute dream. Between Yang, who's warm manner of confidence was the polar opposite of her own, and Ruby, who insisted on dragging Weiss anywhere and everywhere she wanted them to go, Weiss had been forced to see that her way of hiding 'weakness' only served to limit herself. Without either of the sisters knowing, they had slowly helped Weiss reach a point where the large crowds didn't both her as much. Not as long as she had one of them by her side.

On this day, however, Weiss was feeling all that anxiety bubbling back up to the surface, only now for an entirely different reason.

Crystal blue eyes scanned the crowded paths for the umpteenth time, looking for… something. Once again, Weiss felt frustrated with herself for being so anxious, despite not even knowing at she was waiting for. Some paparazzi with a camera? And SDC representative who would stop her in the street? Her father himself to step out from around the next corner?

She snorted at herself. _Okay, that's a bit much._ She resisted the urge to sigh. _I wish I could just relax. It's make this so much easier…_

A sudden pressure as her hand was gently squeezed. Weiss turned her attention to the girl at her side, holding her hand. Grey eyes stared back at her, full of concern

"Weiss? What's wrong?"

Weiss cursed inwardly. Of _course_ Ruby knew something was wrong. _How could she not when my emotions are just hanging out there for her to see?_

She didn't want that. Not the emotion sensing in-and-of itself. That was… wonderful. Knowing how Ruby or Blake or Yang were feeling at just a glance, to know that they were happy or troubled without having to resort to her stunted social skills; it was beautiful.

The part she wasn't so keen on was the reverse. That at any given moment, the three of them knew exactly how she was feeling. Especially Ruby, who seemed to have a vendetta against negative emotions, having to stomp them out the moment she felt them within one of them.

That didn't sit well with Weiss. They were her emotions, her problems. She didn't want to drag down the others whenever she was feeling worried or depressed. Especially when it was over something so trivial. It wasn't Ruby's fault that Weiss was so antsy. It was the heiress' own paranoia playing with her again. There was really nothing she was doing wrong.

She was just walking down the street.

Next to her girlfriend.

Holding her hand.

Around all. These. _People_.

 _All it would take is just one scroll, just one photo that makes its way to Atlas…_

Weiss forced down the thought, banishing it to the dark recesses of her mind. She tried to smile back at Ruby. "It's nothing, Ruby. I'm just… new at this."

It was a weak excuse, one that Ruby obviously didn't fully believe. Still, Weiss had to give her leader credit: poor reason or not, Ruby ran with it. She smiled at Weiss, saying, "So am I. I think we're doing it right, though. Do… you like holding hands?" Her voice was tinted with uncertainty, a small frown on her face.

Weiss felt a stab of guilt at the same moment Ruby's worry hit her. She gave Ruby's hand a small squeeze as they continued down the sidewalk. "I do, Ruby. It's actually… really nice." A hesitant smile formed on her face when she saw Ruby's brighten. Weiss let out a sigh as she went on. "I'm sorry, I've just got a lot on my mind."

Ruby's face fell at that. "Can I help with any of it?"

Weiss smiled ruefully. "It's sweet of you to ask, Ruby, but, I don't think there's much you can do to help me right now."

Ruby's frown deepend. She thought for a moment, before slowly meeting Weiss eyes, speaking softly.

"I can listen."

Weiss paused, staring back at Ruby. She tried to be strong, but… _Dust damn those big, sad eyes..._

"I'm just…" She started hesitantly. She let out a tired sigh." I just can't stop worrying about… my father seeing us."

Ruby came to an abrupt stop, her eyebrows disappearing into her hairline. "Is he here in Vale? You didn't say anything earlier."

Weiss was quick to shake her head. "No, no, he's still in Atlas. But…" Weiss took a deep breath, steeling herself again. "He's always on the lookout for bad press, anything that might make the company, or him, look bad. I'm just worried that… I don't know… everyone knows I'm the Schnee heiress. If the wrong person sees us together, and word gets back to him…"

Ruby was stunned as Weiss trailed off. Seeing the look on Weiss face was heartbreaking. It wasn't even just one of fear. It was more like… resignation. Like her father finding out about their relationship was less of a possibility and more an inevitable event.

Ruby's heart clenched as the realization hit her. "You're… scared of him, aren't you?"

A quick stab of surprise and panic came across the Link as Weiss' eyes widened. Her mouth opened, and automatic response on her lips, but the words died in her throat the moment she met Ruby's wide grey eyes. Her mouth closed quickly. She gulped nervously. She tried to hold Ruby's gaze, but gave up after a few seconds. She sighed tiredly as her eyes slid closed.

"He has so much control over me, Ruby." Her voice lowered so that no one around them could here, just the girl in front of her. "The company, my status as an heiress… being at Beacon." She heard Ruby's breath hitch, felt the dread bleeding over from her, but kept her eyes shut. "I had to fight tooth and nail for him to let me learn to be a Huntress, and even harder for me to be able to go to Beacon rather than the school he wanted me to enroll in. He made it clear that if I didn't match his expectations… he'd pull me out."

Ruby's eyes widened even further, a cold feeling forming in her stomach. "Can… can he do that?"

Weiss could only give a helpless shrug, her eyes opening just enough for her to stare down at the concrete below her. "Probably. He paid my tuition, and technically, it's his money I use to buy my books and supplies. Even if he couldn't pull me out himself, he'd just have to cut of the money until I couldn't afford to stay anymore."

"Why would he do that?"

Weiss eyes hardened, and she made a point to stare at the ground so Ruby wouldn't think her cold look was aimed at her. "Because, he has to control _everything_. If he wants something to happen, it will. If-" She cut herself off before she could start another rant. "I just… I _finally_ have some control over my own life, Ruby. Where I am, what I do… who I love." She squeezed Ruby's hand, receiving a small smile in return. "I feel like I've finally started _living…_ but if I just make one mistake, if he finds just one fault in what I'm doing… he'll rip it all away from me."

Ruby stared at Weiss. The sadness, the _helplessness_ Weiss was feeling was starting to make her stomach queasy. She turned her gaze to the pavement as they trudged through the crowd, Ruby struggling to come up with anything to say. Much to her own disappointment, she couldn't think of a single thing that could help Weiss. Instead, she just said the first thing that came to mind.

"Weiss?" She asked softly.

"Yes, Ruby?" Weiss response was just as quiet.

"... I don't think I like your dad."

Weiss was silent for a moment. Then, to Ruby's surprise, she snorted, followed by a peal of light giggles. "Yes, well…" She fought through her laughter, trying to respond. "I'm not overly fond of him myself."

Ruby felt another stab in her heart at Weiss words, but ignored it to instead enjoy Weiss brief lift in mood. He mind couldn't leave the situation alone, though, so she tried a different route. "What about the rest of your family? Do you think any of them would be okay with… _us_?"

Weiss sobered up quickly at her question, but did seem to consider it. "I… don't know, Ruby." Her face twisted up into what could only be described as a sad scowl. "I doubt my brother would be okay with it."

Ruby felt her eyebrows disappear again, her eyes widening. "Your _brother_?"

Weiss glanced at her, confused by her reaction. Then she recalled Yang's words from the previous day. _Right. She and Ruby don't know anything about my family…_

"Yes, my brother Whitley." Weiss explained with a nod. She felt a small bit of satisfaction when she saw Ruby quickly grow engrossed with the new information. "He's a few years younger than you. I… don't know what to make of him, to be honest. Sometimes he can by kind of nice, but most of the time, he's a complete clone of my father. And everything my father says or thinks, he matches it."

Ruby felt her shoulders slump. For a moment there she'd had a brief, hopeful thought that she'd get along with someone in Weiss' family, someone she might even get to play the big sister act on. But if Whitely was really like how Weiss said he was… "Anyone else?" She asked hopefully.

Weiss thought. "My mother… I have no idea. She's always been... distant. I'm not as close to her as I'd like."

Ruby was sure that if her heart sank any lower it was going to fall into her stomach. A tyrant for a father, a brother just as bad, a distant mother; the way Weiss acted when they first met was starting to make a lot more sense. Then, thankfully, almost desperately, Ruby remembered something. "What about your sister?"

Weiss blinked, a little surprised Ruby remembered she had a sister. "Winter…" She thought for a moment. Her head dipped up a little at the thought. "If any of them would be okay with our relationship, it might be her. She and father never saw eye-to-eye on anything. She eventually just up and left home without telling anyone (though, if you asked father, he'd say he kicked her out). I don't really know what her views on Faunus are, so… I don't know how she'd react to our relationship."

Ruby suddenly brightened, taking that one little spark of hope and ready to turn it into a mighty blaze. "Well, why don't you ask her? In fact-" Ruby gasped as she had a great idea. "Call her!"

Weiss nearly stumbled as Ruby practically yelled in her ear. "Wha- What?"

Ruby was nearly vibrating in place as her idea took form. "At the CCT! After we get the info, you can call her and let her know about us."

Weiss had never felt true dread. She thought she had. Between her father's teachings her time at Beacon, she thought understood what it felt like to have wave upon wave of terror and uncertainty crash down on her.

Then Ruby happened.

"C-Call her?" Weiss stuttered out, her irises shrinking as her stomach dropped. "T-Today!? And tell her about… _us?_ No! Nonononono, that is a bad idea! That is a very bad idea, Ruby!"

Ruby visibly deflated. "Aww… why? I thought you said she'd be okay with it."

Weiss felt a rather loud retort about to pass her lips, but she bit her tongue to stop it. She took a few quick, calming breath.

 _Easy, Weiss. This is Ruby, impulse incarnate. Just speak calmly and clearly, and make her understand why you are_ not _doing this today._

"I didn't say that Ruby." She said once her nerves had lessened. She gave Ruby's arm a small tug, and the two started walking again. "I will admit, out of the rest of my family, Winter is the one who might possibly approve of our relationship. But…" She shifted uncomfortably, memories washing over her. "She's a very critical person… She's better then my father, but if she finds some flaw with what we're doing…" She sighed. "I'm not going to just drop something like this on her out of the blue. If I tell her, I want to… I don't know, make a plan or something. Try to make her more receptive to the idea."

Ruby hummed at that. After a few seconds of walking, she said. "Well… what if you don't tell her it all today? Start small. Tell her about what Beacon's like, what it's like being on a team with us."

Weiss walked on silently, Ruby's words rolling around in her head. "It… could work. And… it would be nice to talk with her again."

Ruby frowned at that. "Are you two mad at each other or something?"

Weiss shook her head, taking the time to send a wave of reassurance at Ruby. "No, nothing like that. Winter's just very busy most of the time, working with the military. And… I didn't get many chances to call her when I was at home."

A pang of sympathy went through Ruby again. She tried to think of what it would be like to almost never see or hear Yang. It made her feel… cold. She smiled despite it. "So… are you going to call her?"

Weiss bit her lip nervously. Her eyes darted around the street, not really focusing on anything, before meeting Ruby's silver eyes again. She swallowed. "Let me… let me think about it… okay?"

It wasn't quite the answer Ruby wanted, but it was better than an outright 'no'. Plus…

 _Worry. Longing. Hesitation. Dread. Hope._

...It was that last one that made Ruby smile. She could _feel_ it. Weiss _did_ want to call her sister. She was just worried about what would happen when she did. But there was that spark of hope that, if she called, Winter would be okay with their relationship.

And if Weiss thought that they had a chance with Winter, Ruby would back her up, one-hundred percent.

Ruby squeezed Weiss hand, hoping that Weiss could feel the determination and approval she was sending across the Link. Judging from the soft smile that formed on Weiss' lips, she did.

They walked further down the street, just enjoying each others company. Now that Weiss had brought it up, Ruby found herself looking over the crowds of people around them, trying to see if she could spot anyone paying them too much attention. No one really stood out, save for one or two people who seemed to recognize Weiss, put those people went on their merry way seconds later, like nothing happened.

 _I don't see anything… but if Weiss thinks it might be a problem, I'll help her keep an eye out, just in case._

The crowds started to thin out as left the busy main streets, turning to walk down a smaller side street. A small bust of curiosity danced at the back of Ruby's mind, tinged with hesitation. She was about to question Weiss about it when the heiress turned to her, an odd look on her face.

"Ruby," She started, her voice a low whisper. "Can I ask you something… personal?"

Ruby tilted her head a little at Weiss' sudden change in tone, but nodded. "Sure. What's up?"

Weiss seemed to fidget a little, glancing around to make sure no one was within earshot. Her cheeks tinted a little as she met Ruby's eyes. "I, um… well, I've just been wondering about something. Last week, when Blake went into heat… what… we did…"

Heat rushed to Ruby's face as she realized what Weiss was talking about. "Y-yeah?" She couldn't help the slight stutter in her voice as a few wayward memories flashed passed her mind. "W-What about it?"

Weiss' face pinked even more, a look on her face that Ruby could only describe as awkwardly adorable. "I-It was your first time too, right?"

Ruby gave a small nod, feeling a little embarrassed, not helped by the fact that she could feel Weiss' embarrassment at the same time, which just seemed to compound her own emotions. "Uh-huh."

Weiss bit her lip, her contemplation palpable. "Did, um… w-what did you think of it? Did you… like it?"

Ruby swallowed. Part of her couldn't help but wonder just where in the _heck_ this conversation had come from, but at the same time…

 _The memories slowly trickled in. Feather-light touches, lips against her skin. Low moans and stifled squeals. Warm amber eyes looking up at her, hesitant crystal blue staring down from above. Hearing Weiss say her name breathlessly as she-_

"Ruby!"

With a jolt, Ruby snapped back to reality. Weiss was standing right in front of her, her face blazing as she clasped her hands over Ruby's shoulders. She looked mortified. Ruby quickly became aware of the heat in her own cheeks.

"Um… what just…"

Weiss pursed her lips, clearing her throat as she removed her hands. "You were… _feeling…_ rather strongly."

Ruby's face reddened further, if that was possible. "O-Oh. Sorry."

Weiss nodded, trying to will away her blush. "It's… fine." After a moment, the most awkward smile formed on Weiss lips. "So… I guess that was a 'yes', then?"

Ruby could only back smile sheepishly. "Y-Yeah. It was… really something." They walked a little further before Ruby asked, "Why are you asking me that, Weiss?"

Blue eyes darted towards Ruby, before focusing on the path ahead. "I've just been… thinking. With all of this Mates business we've been going through the last week, we never really… talked about it. And now that we _are_ Mates now, I've just been wondering…"

Ruby let out a soft "Ohh…" as she caught onto what Weiss was saying. "If we were going to do _it_ again?"

Weiss gulped. "Y-Yes." She replied, trying and failing to keep the stutter out of her voice.

Ruby watched Weiss carefully, noting how the calm exterior the heiress was trying to pull off did not matching with the awkwardness and embarrassment pouring over from the Link. She reached out, gently recapturing Weiss hand in her own. "Do you want to?"

In an instant, Weiss blush was back in full force. Again, her knee-jerk reaction was to deny anything that came remotely close to who she was really feeling, but…

Weiss held in a groan as she met Ruby's eyes. _Again with the big, sad eyes..._

"I… wouldn't be against it…" She admitted slowly, now just ignoring the way her face _burned_. "It's just kind of… _awkward_ to think about." Weiss bit her lip, then gave Ruby her full attention. "What do you think, Ruby?"

Ruby's automatic response ("Last time was great! I'd love to do it again!") died on her lips once she took in Weiss' expression. Weiss' face may have looked calm and collected, but thanks to the time she'd spent around the heiress (and with the Link helping to take out a lot of the guesswork), Ruby could tell: Weiss was completely lost.

Ruby stared down at the ground as she mulled everything over in her head. "I think," she eventually said, "That, after we get done with the info gathering today, we go back to the dorm, and talk everything over with Blake and Yang. They might have their own thoughts about… doing it again."

Weiss pressed her lips into a thin line, nodding. "Y-Yes, that would probably be best."

The conversation seemed to die after that, as Weiss kept her eyes forward, not looking at Ruby. This made Ruby frown, thinking that maybe she'd said something wrong and gave Weiss the wrong impression. She suddenly stopped walking, giving Weiss arm a gentle tug.

Feeling the sudden stop, Weiss turned around, looking at the leader in confusion. "Ruby, what…"

She was silenced when Ruby took a quick step towards her, tilting her head up as she captured Weiss lips in a kiss. Weiss' eyes widened in surprise, but quickly slid closed as she leaned into the kiss, enjoying the sensation.

The kiss didn't last long, only a few seconds, but Ruby felt she'd gotten her point across as she slowly pulled away. She smiled at the soft look on Weiss' face.

"I'd love to be with you again, Weiss." She said softly, enjoying herself as Weiss face pinked again. "But we really do need to talk this over with Blake and Yang." Her smile turned into a bit of a smirk, one on par with her sister's. "Aside from us all being Mates, we do share a room, after all."

Aside from blushing deeper, Weiss had no response. Ruby smiled wider, pulling on Weiss' arm as she lead the older girl down the street.

"...Ruby?"

Said girl looked to the heiress. "Yeah?"

Weiss looked ten different kinds of awkward, but still managed a shy smile. "Thank you."

In response, Ruby gave Weiss' hand a squeeze, her smile blinding.

The two turned around a corner, the grounds opening up into a humongous courtyard. At the center stood Beacon Tower, reaching up into the heavens, a slight green glow coming from the uppermost floors. Dozens of students milled around the entrance, either hanging out with friends and enjoying the nice day, or waiting their turn to enter the CCT center at the base of the tower.

Ruby looked up at gleaming spire, stars in her eyes. "Wow! I forgot how big the Transmit Tower looks up close!

Weiss followed her gaze, smiling both at Ruby's response and the massive building in front of them. "You should see the one in Atlas. It's even bigger."

"That was the first one, right?" Ruby asked as the made their way towards the Tower entrance.

"Correct," Weiss said, feeling a small bit of pride in Ruby for remembering. She knew Ruby struggled with certain subjects, so seeing that the younger girl retained some knowledge from their after-class study sessions put a warm feeling in her chest. "Atlas developed the Cross Continental Transmit System to allow the four kingdoms to communicate with one another. It was their gift to the world after the Great War."

Ruby couldn't help but roll her eyes, an amused grin on her lips. "Weiss, you're slipping into 'teacher mode' again."

Weiss shot her a half hearted scowl, which made Ruby giggle. "Oh, don't be a pest. We only came here because you wanted to. We could have easily made the call from the library."

Ruby at least had the decency to look abashed at Weiss very true statement. "I know, but… we never get to this part of the grounds! This is the first time I've been this close to it since the semester started. Also…"

Weiss frowned in concern when she felt Ruby's sudden uncertainty across the Link. "Ruby?" She questioned, wondering what was wrong.

Ruby's darted away from Weiss, looking back towards the Tower. "Well… I was wondering something about the CCT Tower."

Weiss' frowned deepened, feeling a little indignant. "You could have just asked me, Ruby. I know just as much about CCT as any of the people who work on it."

Ruby, apparently not having realized this, felt her shoulders slump a little. "Sorry, I just…"

Weiss waited for Ruby to answer, ignoring the few students that were looking their way. She could worry about her father's reputation later. Ruby was more important.

Ruby bit her lip, before slowly looking up at the Tower.

"..do you think the Tower could reach Menagerie?"

Weiss head jerked back in surprise, having not expected the seemingly random question. After a moment, she realized what Ruby was getting at. She crossed her arms, her expression somewhere between annoyed and disapproving. "Ruby, you're not calling Blake's parents."

Ruby was quick to throw up her hands. "I wasn't going to! I was just wondering if y'know, it was possible, for… later…"

Weiss tapped her foot, getting irritated. " _Ruby…_ "

Ruby gave a little whine, looking down. "I know, okay!. I just…" She let out a sad sigh. "I don't her not talking to them… she's just making herself sad."

Weiss's expression softened, sympathy tempering back her frustrations. "Ruby, that's Blake's choice. She doesn't want to face them until after this whole White Fang business is over with. That's why we're out here in the first place, remember? To help her get to that point?"

Ruby let out a small groan. "I know. I was just… wondering, that's all."

Weiss studied Ruby for a moment, before relenting with a huff. "Honestly, Ruby… I don't know." Ruby looked back up at Weiss, shock on her face. Weiss went on. "I… never really paid Menagerie much mind before." she admitted, with no small amount of shame. The fact that she now knew Menagerie was Blake's home made her feel all the worse. "They don't have a CCT like the kingdoms do, so they probably have to rely on smaller communication towers. Blake said she was able to reach her mom once before, so it might be possible, but… I don't know how stable the signal would be." Weiss felt her heart twinge when she saw Ruby's face fall. She let out a long-suffering sigh. "I'll look up on it later, okay?"

Ruby perked up in an instant, beaming widely as she wrapped Weiss in a hug. "Thanks Weiss!"

Weiss blushed a bit at the sudden contact, but still smiled, returning the hug. "Okay, okay. Can we go in now? People are starting to stare."

Ruby pulled back in an instant, surprise and worry on her face. "Oh, sorry! Yeah, we can- oh! Wait! I wanted to get a picture of the Tower first."

Weiss rolled her eyes, but decided to let Ruby indulge herself for the moment. She sighed in exasperation when, in her zeal to get out her scroll, Ruby fumbled with the thing, sending it skittering across the pavement.

"Oh, darn," Ruby muttered. She reached down to grab it…

But someone beat her to it.

"Oh!" A slender arm suddenly shoved the scroll in Ruby's face. "You dropped this… uuhh…"

Ruby's eyes followed the arm to the girl it belonged to, her eyes widening as she took in her features. Striking green eyes. Pink bow on top of bright orange hair. Her skin was pale as she stared back at Ruby in surprise.

"Penny!?"

* * *

 **RWBY Timeline: A Minor Hiccup**

 **A/n: Finally! My favorite little robot is in the story! ...and now I have another character to juggle with the rest of them. Fun...**

 **Yep, it's a three-parter! Trust me, I don't like it anymore then you do, but well…**

 **I'll level with you guys; Real life is kicking my ass. Home life is getting stressful and my boss decided on a whim to move me to a different shift, throwing my whole routine right out the window. I'm gonna keep working on this in my free time, but don't panic if the next few chapters take a bit longer. I'm sorry, but what can I do? Life just sucks sometimes.**

 **Wish me luck! (I'm gonna need it…)**


	29. Chapter 29: Information Gathering Part 3

**Chapter 29: Information Gathering, Part 3**

 **Front of Beacon Tower**

Ruby couldn't believe it. She's spent all month wondering where Penny had disappeared to after that fight against the White Fang. She'd worried for weeks whether or not her new friend was alright, if she'd been kidnapped by the White Fang or what.

And now, here she was, completely out of the blue, looking none the worse for wear.

Ruby stared at the formerly-missing girl for a moment, completely dumbstruck. Penny seemed just as stunned to see Ruby, freezing in place with wide eyes. Then, once the initial shock wore off, Ruby smiled widely. In an instant, she lept forward, wrapping Penny in a tight hug.

"Penny!" Ruby squealed, squeezing the girl with all she had. "You're okay!"

The surprise bear hug startled Penny, causing the green-eyed girl to drop Ruby's scroll, which the young leader had completely ignored. Weiss took a quick step forward, snatching the scroll out of the air before it tumbled onto the pavement.

A frown formed on Weiss face as she looked at Ruby hugging Penny _very_ tightly. She couldn't help the shot of jealousy that shot through her at the sight, a sense of wrongness as Ruby showered someone other than her or Blake with affection. The feeling lessened, however, when Weiss unconsciously scanned Ruby's emotions.

 _Shock. Happiness. Relief._

And… that was it. Ruby was just happy that her friend was safe and sound. Nothing deeper than friendly affection.

Inwardly, Weiss berated herself. She knew Ruby, knew the girls amazing openheartedness, the kindness she adored so much. Ruby wouldn't do anything to hurt her or Blake, least of all involve herself with someone else. How could she ever think, however briefly, that Ruby would be capable of such a thing?

Weiss made a mental note to ask Blake about it later. Perhaps there was some element of Mating that was affecting her thoughts. The only other alternative was that she was just being irrationally jealous.

 _...I'm not sure which of those is worse, to be honest._

"Uuuhh…" Penny droned, her eyes darting between Ruby and Weiss. Weiss, having been on the receiving end of many of Ruby's surprise hugs, had to sympathize with the clear 'I-am-so-out-of-my-depth' look on Penny's face. Before the she could give a coherent response, Ruby pulled back, holding the girl at an arm's length.

"Where have you been?" Ruby asked, her voice thick with worry. "We haven't seen you since that night at the docks!"

"U-Um…" Penny stuttered out, staring at Ruby dumbly. Weiss frowned at that. Something seemed… _off_ about Penny. Well, more than usual. From the limited interaction she'd had with Penny before, Weiss had gathered that Penny was a rather odd girl (though, as she was quickly learning, there really was no such thing as 'normal' when Hunters were concerned. Being strange and quirky seemed to be a requirement). But this was different. Before, Penny acted rather out-there, but was energetic, excitable.

Now, though, the green-eyed girl seemed rather stiff, staring at her and Ruby with an expression of worry and… fear?

Penny suddenly took a quick step back, pulling out of Ruby's grasp. Surprised, Ruby pulled her arms back against her chest, hurt flashing in her eyes. Penny seemed to notice this, averting her gaze from the sniper. "I-I'm sorry. I think you're confused. _Hic!_ " Penny's body jolted as she suddenly hiccuped. Her eyes widened, her cheeks tinting… green?

 _Wait, what?_ Weiss thought, baffled.

Penny fidgeted in place for a moment, then turned on her heel. "Uh… I've got to go!" Before Ruby or Weiss could say anything, she took off, quickly getting lost in the crowd.

Ruby stared after her, her confusion and hurt so obvious that Weiss didn't even need the Link to feel it. Concerned, Weiss put a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Do you know what that was about?" She asked. Ruby had spent more time around the strange girl before, so hopefully she knew what might be going on.

Unfortunately, Ruby just shook her head, her confusion obvious. "I don't know." Then, Ruby's silver eyes narrowed, filling with determination. "But I'm going to find out." With that, she started walking after Penny, just able to make out her orange hair bobbing in the distance.

Weiss' eyes widened. She grasped her girlfriend's shoulder before she got out of reach. "Wait, Ruby!" Ruby spun around, a little surprised by Weiss' sudden action. Weiss fixed her with a stare that was both confused and more than a little exasperated. "What about the CCT?"

Ruby blinked, as if just remembering why they were at Beacon Tower in the first place. She looked up at the gleaming spire. A small whimper passed through her lips she bounced from foot to foot with pent up energy. When she turned back to Weiss, Ruby's expression was contrite. "You don't really need me to get the info, do you?"

Weiss felt an odd mix of frustration and dread at Ruby's words. She was just about to yell that, yes, she did need Ruby's help, but…

 _Worry. Dread. Guilt. Protectiveness_.

Weiss sighed. _Her heart's too big for her own good… but that's what I like about her._ "I suppose not." Weiss admitted grudgingly, letting her hand slip from Ruby's shoulder.

Ruby flashed a guilty smile, then surprised Weiss by leaning in close and giving her a small peck on the cheek. "Thank you." She whispered into Weiss' ear, before spinning around and taking off down the path, eyes locking on the orange dot far off across the campus.

Weiss stood there, stunned as her face pinked a little at Ruby's very public display of affection. She managed to shake herself back to reality just before Ruby had run out of earshot. "Call me when you're done talking with Penny!" She yelled out, hoping Ruby would hear her.

Ruby paused mid step, looking over her shoulder with a grin. "I will!" She shouted back. "You just make your call!" Then, right as she started running again, she looked back over her shoulder with a cheeky smile. "Say hi to your sister for me!"

It took all of a second for Weiss to process what Ruby said. Her eyes widened in panic. "Ru-!"

 _ **Wheessh!**_

"-by." Weiss just stared as rose petals gently danced in the air in front of her, their creator zipping away in a flash of red. Several students in the courtyard started to pick themselves back up, grumbling about getting knocked over by the sudden blast of wind.

Weiss blinked as she watched a dot of red streak into the distance, disappearing around a far off corner. As the rose petals settled around her, Weiss brought a hand to her face, gently massaging her temples.

 _I swear, sometimes she's worse than Yang_. Taking a calming breath, Weiss looked up at the massive structure before her, it's size suddenly seeming rather intimidating to her. She let out a huff. _Okay,_ she thought to herself. _Let's get this over with._ Straightening her posture, Weiss started towards the tower's entrance, her head held high, ignoring the curious stares she received from the students around her.

* * *

 **Junior's Nightclub**

 _Huh. Wonder what that was about?_

Yang frowned into her glass, trying to make sense of what was going on in her head.

Junior's had been a total bust. After getting his goon squad to stand down (and _maybe_ giving one or two of them a concussion), Yang was lucky enough to find the man himself behind the bar. Unfortunately, Junior had next to nothing to give her. All he knew about Torchwick were two things. One, he was working with the White Fang (already knew that). Two, Torchwick had come to Junior's once before, looking for "hired help." Junior had given him a small army of his best guys… and he hadn't heard from any of them since.

All Yang got out of that was that Junior couldn't tell them anything that they didn't already know.

So, here she sat at the bar, slowly sipping at her drink as she waited for her team to show up. Hopefully, they were having better luck then she did.

Though, with all the weird emotions bouncing between the three of them, she was pretty sure that whatever they were finding didn't qualify as 'good.'

"Hey," A sudden voice pulled Yang from her thoughts. "You okay?"

Yang looked up from her drink, meeting Neptune's eyes. Yang had to admit, she was kind of impressed that the guy was still there. After their warm welcome, Junior's oh-so-friendly demeanor, _and_ getting turned down cold by the Malachite Twins, Yang wouldn't have been surprised if Neptune had just up and left as soon as he realized that her lead was a total waste.

And she wouldn't really have blamed him if he did. She doubted that Neptune had been expecting to take a trip to Vale's criminal underbelly when he and Sun volunteered to help. Plus… _maybe_ she overdid it a bit with the motorcycle ride.

But, Neptune stuck around after all of it, sitting next to her at the bar, sipping a cola, nervously eyeing the armed bouncers that kept glaring their way.

Yang glanced at him out the corner of her eye, before sighing. "Yeah, I'm good. Just trying to make sense of what's going on with my team."

Neptune frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Yang laughed a little at his confusion. "They're all feeling a little… off, I guess." She tapped the side of her head to make her meaning clear.

It took a second, but Neptune's eyes soon widened, his lips parting slightly in realization. "Oh! Like… their emotions?"

Yang nodded, smiling slightly at the slight scepticism his voice. Once they'd settled at the bar, Neptune had wasted little time in asking her what she meant when she said that Blake was also Weiss' girlfriend. So, Yang gave him a basic idea of her team all being Mates with each other, and what that entailed.

Neptune was… less than impressed at first. He'd given Yang a look that clearly said he thought she was full of it. Yang was a little annoyed at that, but at the same time, she kind of got where he was coming from, Faunus Mating was crazy enough when she was apart of it. To someone completely uninformed, all the talk about emotion sensing, 'seeing' aura, soul sharing; it must have sounded ludicrous, even by Hunter standards.

Still, even if that was what Neptune thought, the guy hadn't called her on any of it. He was at least entertaining the possibility, and Yang counted that as a win.

Yang nodded in confirmation. "Yep."

Neptune eyed her as she downed the last of her drink. He hesitated for a moment, then asked. "What are they… feeling?"

Yang turned to look at him, her brows lifting in surprise. She looked him up and down, checking whether or not he was being serious. When she only saw honest curiosity in his eyes, she shrugged. _Eh, what's the harm?_

She turned back to the bar, waving Junior down for him to make her another drink. As she waited for her drink, she closed her eyes, focusing.

Inky blackness, endless in all directions. Three pinpricks of light, two far off in the distance, one slowly drawing closer. Too far to make out shapes, but close enough to feel them clearly. Yang focused on the closest one, an odd mix of vivid violet shrouding wispy black.

"Blake is… nervous." Yang said softly, keeping her eyes closed. Neptune raised an eyebrow, still not sure whether or not Yang was screwing with him. He was about to ask for more details, when he noticed something odd.

Yang's tattoo… or, _Mark_ , she called it… part of it was glowing. Not very brightly, but just enough that the purple flower in the middle of it stood out against her skin.

Neptune felt his other eyebrow meet his first as Yang went on. "She's nervous… and worried. But… she's also relieved… happy even." Then Yang smiled, chuckling. "And more than a little annoyed." She opened her eyes, and Neptune watched as the glow of her Mark quickly faded, going back to looking like a tattoo. "I think she's talking with Sun."

Neptune shook off his bafflement, meeting Yang's eyes. He managed a grin, laughing lightly at her words. "Happy, but annoyed? Yeah, that sounds like how talking to Sun feels."

Yang smirked back at him. She looked up as Junior set a new glass in front of her. Yang just gave the man a nod, sliding a few Lien across the bar to him. She took a sip as Junior walked off (if nothing else, the man made a great Strawberry Sunrise), before setting the glass back down, closing her eyes again.

Yang focused. Neptune watched her closely, his eyes trained on her Mark. Sure enough, the red rose on her neck gained a dim glow. After a few seconds, she let out a concerned huff. "Ruby, what are you doing?" Her voice was so low, Neptune could barely hear it. As if remembering he was there, Yang spoke a little louder, her lips curving into a small frown. "Earlier, Ruby got really excited. She was happy and relieved, but now… she's worried about something. She feels… guilty? And determined." Yang huffed, a lips pulling up into an exasperated smile. "Rubes has her mind set on _something_. She's moving away from where Weiss is. I'll probably get an annoyed phone call soon."

Neptune nodded, not that Yang could see it. "Okay… and Weiss?"

Yang didn't say anything, but Neptune could see the red glow of the rose fade, replaced by the light blue of the snowflake. After a few seconds, Yang's eyes opened, her brow furrowing in thought. "Weiss is frustrated, annoyed, worried…" She took a deep breath, letting it out in a tired huff. "... and lonely. Dammit, Ruby," Yang suddenly hissed under her breath. "What the hell is so important for you to bail on Weiss?"

Neptune stared at the blonde as she scowled into her drink, the glow of her Mark fading down to nothing. "Ruby left Weiss alone?"

Yang let out a soft grunt, taking a swig of her Sunrise. "Yeah. At least I can guess why she feels guilty right now."

Neptune just stared. "Wow."

Yang raised an eyebrow at the awe in his voice. Her lips turned up into a smirk. "So, you believe me now?"

Neptune nodded with a smile. "Yeah. It was the lightshow that cinched it, though."

Yang blinked. "Wait, what?"

* * *

 **Beacon Academy**

To say Weiss was stressed was an understatement.

Between Yang going to a criminal nightclub in the seediest part of Vale, and Blake walking right into the bloody maw of the White Fang, her nerves were already stretched to the breaking point. And now, Ruby, in all her great juvenile wisdom, had run off to who-knows-where to find out what was wrong with her formally-missing friend, leaving Weiss to tackle the SDC all by herself.

Stressed did not even _begin_ to cover it.

Weiss rubbed at her temples, trying to will away her growing headache. With a huff she looked up above the elevator door, dimly taking note of the four Kingdom symbols adorning it.

With a sigh, Weiss folded her arms, waiting for her floor.

 _I don't get it, though_ , She thought to herself. _Why am I having so much issue with this?_

Logically, her worries made little sense. She knew Yang was a monster in a fight, one of, if not _the_ strongest person in Beacon. She knew Blake was a near-master of deception and stealth, and knew more about the White Fang the she could comprehend. She knew Ruby, for all her faults, was an accomplished warrior, quick thinking, skilled in the art of combat.

She knew they could handle themselves. She knew that, if the worst were to come, they each had someone with them for backup, Ruby included now that she was with Penny. Yes, there were risks, but her team was smart, resourceful. They would be fine.

 _So why am I freaking out like this!?_

It felt like her insides, her very soul, was being pulled in three directions. Like, at that moment, she wanted nothing more than to run off, forget what she was doing, and see with her own eyes that her girlfriends were safe.

Why?

The ding of the elevator broke Weiss from her thoughts. Arms still crossed, she marched out of the elevator, eyes lowered to the ground. She was so deep in thought, she didn't notice the other people in the communications room until she ran into one.

Literally.

"Oof!" Weiss grunted as she walked right into someone, wobbling as she tried not to fall over. She heard a squeak of surprise, and the rapid _click-clack_ of shoes on marble as whoever she ran into took a step backwards.

"Hey, watch it!"

Weiss' head snapped up at the accusatory voice, only to find her own look of surprise reflected in the sunglasses of Coco Adel. The fashionista had a frown on her face, and though Weiss couldn't see her eyes, the way the older girl's brows knitted together gave her the feeling she was being glared at.

"Oh!" Weiss exclaimed, feeling her cheeks warm in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

To Weiss' dismay, Coco's frown deepened, her hidden glare intensifying. " _I'm_ not the one you should apologize to."

Weiss blinked at her, confused. Then her gaze was drawn to someone moving behind Coco. Weiss eyes widened slightly in recognition.

Velvet Scarlatina met her stare nervously, her long brown rabbit ears dipping slightly. The Rabbit-Faunus held a hand over her chest, a small handbag clutched tightly in her grip.

Weiss was about to apologize to her, but paused when she noticed Velvet's brown eyes dart to Coco briefly. Weiss glanced that way as well, fully aware of the stern look on Coco's face. Something seemed a bit odd, but Weiss couldn't put her finger on what… at least, until she saw Coco subtly shift her weight forward, as if to take a step.

That's when Weiss saw it. Coco had put herself between Weiss and Velvet, as if she thought Weiss was a threat. The older girl's hand was grasped around her handbag handle, her pointer finger very obviously placed just a few centimeters from the hidden weapon's transformation switch. One little twitch and the bag would unfold into a massive minigun, ready to spew lead and death.

And, judging from Coco's challenging stance, she had no qualms about unleashing said destruction upon Weiss if she so deemed.

For the briefest moment, Weiss wondered why Coco was having such an exaggerated reaction to what, at least for Weiss, was a rather common accident (The number of times she'd seen Ruby bowl someone over because she wasn't paying attention was nearing triple digits). But then, Weiss' sharp mind clicked the pieces into place.

Velvet was well known throughout the school as something of an easy target. She was shy and polite, avoiding conflict whenever possible. Which, combined with her rather large ears, made her the perfect target for bullies like Cardin. Hardly a day went by that Cardin, or someone like him, tormented poor Velvet in some way, usually by pulling on her ears. And, being the gentle soul that she was, she never fought back. The fact that a good chunk of her classes were at different times than that of her teammates meant that she had to face the torment alone.

By extension, this had also earned the other members of Team CFVY a rather intimidating reputation for their responses to any bullies unfortunate enough to be caught picking on the shy Faunus. Coco Adel was known as being particularly protective.

A familiar cold feeling formed in Weiss stomach as it all came together. She had never had much interaction with Team CFVY. She knew that Ruby and Yang were on friendly terms with them, and she'd seen Blake speaking to the Velvet on more than one occasion. But Weiss herself had always kept her distance. By her own choice, the members of Team CFVY didn't know her as a person. They just knew her by name.

To Coco, Weiss hadn't accidently bumped into Velvet.

A Schnee had tried to knock Velvet over.

Not for the first time, Weiss cursed her family's reputation. Even with a continent and an ocean between them, her father still managed to effect her life.

Weiss took a calming breath through her nose. Her feelings towards her father wouldn't help anything right now.

 _I am not him._ She thought to herself. _And I'll prove it right now._

Weiss met Velvet's brown eyes, an apologetic smile on her lips. "I'm sorry, Velvet. I should have been paying more attention to where I was going. Are you alright?"

Velvet blinked back at her, her ears perking up to their full height. The Faunus smiled back. "I'm alright, Weiss." Then she shot a look towards Coco, a spark of annoyance in her eyes. "It was an accident."

Coco met her stare evenly. Then, with a sigh, she took a small step back, coming to Velvet's side. From the small way her head bobbed, Weiss guessed she'd rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses. Still, Weiss was relieved to the fashionista's hand leave the handle of her bag.

Deciding to take her small victory while she could, Weiss gave the two a polite nod. "Well, if you'll both please excuse me…" She stepped past them, moving towards the help desk at the front of the room.

She only made it a few steps when she heard Velvet call out to her.

"Weiss!"

Weiss paused, turning back around. Velvet took the few steps forward, her hands folded politely in front of her. Confused, Weiss glanced over her shoulder towards Coco. The older girl stared back, looking confused herself at her partner's' actions.

"Umm…" Velvet started nervously. Her eyes darted away from Weiss' briefly, her cheeks tinging a little. She bit her lip, then met Weiss' eyes. "I-I just wanted to say… congratulations."

Weiss frowned, not understanding. Then, she saw Velvet's eyes shift slightly, towards her neck. Weiss eyes widened. _Right. Other Faunus can tell when..._

Weiss brain suddenly kicked into high gear. She'd binge-read as much about Faunus customs as she could over the last week, and her mind was quick to pull some of that information back to the surface. For a Faunus, finding their Mate was a source of pride, something to be celebrated. In Faunus circles, common courtesy was to congratulate a newly Mated couple for their good fortune.

And apparently, Velvet felt that, despite not being a Faunus herself, Weiss was worthy of that same praise.

"Um…" Weiss stuttered back, feeling her face heat up slightly. A shy smile formed on her lips, a warm feeling forming in her chest. "Thank you, Velvet. That means a lot."

Velvet nodded, smiling back. She bit her lip nervously, then asked, "Also… could you tell Blake that I'd like to talk to her later? I have a… personal question I was hoping she could help me with."

Weiss tilted her head slightly at the odd requested, but nodded all the same. "Of course. I'll pass along the message."

Velvet's smile widened, showing off her teeth. "Thank you."

Weiss watched as Velvet turned around, rejoining Coco by the elevator. She just heard Coco question Velvet ("What was that about?") when the doors opened and the two stepped inside. Velvet flashed Weiss another smile, just before the doors closed.

Weiss just stood their for a moment, staring at where the pair had last been. Replaying what just happened in her mind, A bright smile formed on her face. She felt strangely… lighter. As if a great weight she'd never noticed before had been lifted.

A weight that came crashing back down once she turned around, facing the vast communications room.

Weiss sucked in a deep breath. _Okay… here we go._ She plastered her best smile onto her face, stepping up to the empty front desk.

There was a slight buzzing sound as the motion sensors in the desk triggered. With a brief flash of light, a translucent woman appeared behind the desk. Her form shook for a moment, a blank look on her face. When the hologram stabilized, the AI smiled, bringing her blank eyes to meet Weiss' " _Welcome to the Beacon Cross Continental Transmit center._ " The woman greeted, a small echo in her voice. " _How may I help you?_ "

"I need to make a call to Schnee Company World Headquarters in Atlas." Weiss said, keeping her tone polite.

" _Absolutely._ " The desk made a few beeping sounds as the projection's fingers skimmed across an invisible keyboard. " _If you could head over to Terminal 3, I'll patch you through._ "

Weiss smiled at the AI. "Thank you!"

The AI blinked at her, before smiling back, a little wider than before. As Weiss stepped around the desk towards the computers, the AI's form shuddered, then blinked out of existence.

Weiss walked across the room, past various students sitting at the terminals read out around the area. She heard snippets of conversations, some speaking with family, some with friends. She had a brief, fleeting thought, wondering what it was like to call a family member for the simple purpose of just… talking.

* * *

" **Say hi to your sister for me!"**

* * *

Weiss shook her head. _Ruby… sometimes I wish I could see the world as simply as that girl._ Though, Weiss had to admit, the more she thought about it, the more tempting the idea got… despite the fact that the rest of her brain was screaming "BAD IDEA", every worse case scenario running through her mind.

Weiss sat down at the terminal the AI had sent her too. She took a moment to collect her thoughts, pushing down her growing anxiety. She couldn't just be Weiss when talking to the SDC. She had to be "Miss Schnee." She took a deep breath, forcing a fake smile onto her face as the screen lit up. A young woman appeared on screen, looking down at what was likely another computer screen. The Schnee logo spun lazily behind her.

" _Thank you for calling the Atlas- Oh!"_ The woman looked up, realizing who she was talking to. The operator's eyes lit up, a smile spreading onto her face. _"Miss Schnee! Good afternoon! Would you like me to patch you through to your father? I think your sister Winter might be here as well."_

Weiss' stomach froze at her words. _Father_ and _Winter are both there? If they find out I called the company…_ Weiss refused to let her mind go down that path. Instead, she focused on the woman on the other end of the call. To her slight surprise, the woman seemed to be acting genuinely friendly, rather than the nervous fear that most SDC employees had when talking to the Schnee family. It was rather refreshing to have someone not be intimidated by her family's reputation.

Weiss' smile grew a bit more genuine as she shook her head. "No, thank you! I was actually wondering if you could find some files for me. I've compiled a short list." She plugged her scroll into the terminal's keyboard, the information transferring automatically.

The operator looked down at a different screen, likely scanning the list Weiss had sent. Weiss suppressed groan when she saw the woman's eyes narrow ever-so-slightly. " _I see. If you don't mind... what may I ask is this for?"_

 **"** School project." Weiss lied smoothly.

The woman hesitated, frowning slightly. " _Um... There are some sensitive documents on this list, ma'am."_

At the nervous tone in the woman's voice Weiss felt worry bubble up in the pit of her stomach. She knew that 'school project' line was weak, but it was the best she could come up with given the circumstances. There were few, if any, legitimate reasons for an academy student to want detailed reports of any White Fang movements against the company. And while hers was about as genuine as it could be, she couldn't exactly say: "I need these files to help my Faunus Ex-White Fang girlfriend take down a terrorist organisation."

…

 _...dear Dust, when did my life get so ludicrous?_

"Well, then, I'll be sure to treat them with care," She said lamely, fake-smile in full force. She cringed inwardly when her voice sounded just a little too happy then she'd intended.

The operator stared at her for a moment, before dropping her eyes to a different screen. " _Right…"_ The woman took a short breath, apprehension clear in her eyes. _"Very well. The data is being transferred to your Scroll now."_

As the sound of the woman's typing came across the call, Weiss suppressed a frown. That was it, that nervousness all her father's employees had whenever she spoke to them. Except this time, Weiss had been the one to put that fear into this woman. If someone found out she was the one to send Weiss this information...

 _Well…_ Weiss thought to herself, stomping down her fledgling insecurities. _I'll just have to make certain that doesn't happen._

"Wonderful! That will be all, then." Weiss moved removed her scroll, moving to get up from the terminal, when the woman spoke again.

" _Are you sure you wouldn't like me to patch you through to your father before you go?"_

Weiss felt her fake smile slip from her face, but she forced back. "Yes, I'm…"

* * *

" **After we get the info, you can call her and let her know about us."**

* * *

Weiss paused, Ruby's earlier words playing back in her head. "Um…"

* * *

 **Ruby looked up at her, smiling widely with that familiar twinkle in her eye. "** **So… are you going to call her?"**

* * *

Weiss froze. She felt pressure build in her chest, the phantom feeling of anxiety taking form.

 _I… I could do it… right now. I have the time… and Winter is there at the company. Like Ruby said, I wouldn't have to tell her everything that's happened. I could just… start small. Just… talk._

"Miss Schnee?"

The operator's voice pulled Weiss out of her musings. She blinked, finding the woman looking at her in concern. Her mouth parted, ready to tell the woman that there was nothing wrong-

"Could you call my sister Winter?"

As soon as the words slipped passed Weiss' lips, it was all she could do not to slap her hand over her mouth. As it was, she couldn't stop her eyes widening, or her heart's sudden pounding against her ribs. _Why did I say that? WHY DID I JUST SAY THAT!?_

The operator took no notice of this, merely blinking at her, before smiling kindly. _"Of course! One moment, please."_

Weiss was only dimly aware of the woman's words, instead trying to figure out _what the hell just happened._ Weiss' words were always well thought out and calm. If she didn't think she could manage that, she usually opted for staying silent, or changing the subject. She had never just… _blurted out_ something like that. She wasn't even sure if calling Winter was what she really wanted to do. Why would she do something so impulsive?

…

 _...wait… impulsive…_

Being impulsive wasn't something Weiss would do. That was something…

Weiss eyes widened in horror.

 _Dust dammit, Ruby must be rubbing off on me!_

"Hmm…" Again, Weiss' attention was drawn back to the operator. The woman was frowning at a different screen, before she turned back to Weiss, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry, Miss Schnee. It seems you're sister is currently in a meeting with your father. She's not receiving any calls at the moment."

Weiss stared back at her. "Oh…" The sound slipped out without her meaning to. A sudden weight seemed to push down on Weiss, at the same time her heart dropped. To her surprise, despite her brain telling her that she should be relieved at having dodged such a wayward bullet, instead she felt… disappointed.

The operator could apparently see this on her face, because she quickly added. "But, I could take a message for you… if you want."

Weiss hesitated. Did she want that? She tried to form a coherent answer, but with her brain waging an apparent war against the rest of her body, she came up with nothing.

"...Just… tell her I'll try to contact her again." Weiss finally said, her voice a little faint. Biting her lip, she added, "Soon."

The operator smiled at her, typing at her keyboard. "Can do. Will that be all, Miss Schnee?"

"Yes. Thank you."

The woman's smile widened. "You're welcome, Miss Schnee. Have a good day!" With one final smile, the screen went blank, leaving Weiss to just stare at her own shellshocked expression.

 _I just told Winter I'd try to contact her,_ Weiss thought dumbly. _She'll be expecting a call from me now… what am I going to say to her? What_ can _I say to her? Do… do I tell her about my relationship? Do I tell her my teammates are my girlfriends? That that they're my… Mates? What do I…?_

 _ **Curiocity. Concern. Worry. Calm.**_

Weiss eyes widened in surprise, before she let them slide closed, taking a deep breath. She let the emotions wash over her, each one either tinged with a feeling of warm heat or that of cool shade. Yang and Blake, asking what was wrong, telling her to calm down.

Weiss held onto those feelings, taking a few deep, calming breath. Once she felt her heartbeat slow, she tried to communicate back.

 _I'm… fine,_ she thought, hoping her emotions would reflect her thoughts. Then she frowned, frustrated with herself. _Okay, I'm not fine. I'm… confused and worried and scared and… lost._

Weiss opened her eyes, her cheeks burning from embarrassment. _Great, now Yang, Blake, and probably Ruby know how much of a mess I am. Fantastic. They're never going to let me hear the end of…_

 _ **Bzzz.**_

Weiss jolted in surprise when her scroll vibrated in her hand. Frowning at it, she opened it up, seeing she'd received a new text.

 **Y- I'm free 2 talk if U need 2. U OK Snowflake?**

At the same time she read the text, she felt a familiar sense of warm concern brush against her. Her mouth fell open slightly. Then her scroll buzzed again.

 **Y- And Y'd Rubes ditch U? :(**

Again, Weiss felt emotions that were not her own, this time annoyance, tinged with a tiny bit of anger. A giggle slipped passed Weiss' lips at the feeling, as she could just picture Yang's face when she asked the question. Taking a moment to collect herself, Weiss texted back.

 **W- I'll tell you later, back at the dorm.**

She paused for a second, then added:

 **W- Thank you.**

A few seconds later, she got a response.

 **Y- I'll hold ya 2 that. And no problem! ^_^**

Weiss smiled. She looked back up at the blank terminal screen, seeing her reflection. She nearly laughed at the dopey look on her own face. _Most unbecoming for a Schnee… oh well._

Getting up fromthe terminal, Weiss started walking back towards the elevator, passed the students still involved with their own calls. She tapped a few times on her scroll, pulling up the new information she'd been sent. Her eyebrows raised a bit as she scrolled through all the files.

 _So many altercations… most of these haven't been made public. There must be something in here that can help Blake. We'll just have to pour through it all together._ Weiss sighed as she found more and more files. Even with her team's help, there was enough information to last them weeks. Not helped by the fact that, as much as she cared for them, Weiss couldn't deny that Yang and Ruby weren't exactly the best when it came to studying.

 _Speaking of which…_ Weiss pulled up her call log, and huffed in annoyance when she found it empty. _Ruby must still be with Penny. I suppose I'll have to track her down my-_

Weiss jolted mid-step, nearly stumbling as what felt like a bolt of lightning shot from her neck down to the base of her spine.

 _ **Panic. Worry. Protectiveness. Anxiety. Fear.**_

Weiss stopped breathing, her head snapping towards the array of large windows that made up the room's walls. _That… that was Ruby. Something's wrong._

Weiss closed her eyes, forcing herself to focus. She tried to zero in on the emotions, on the tingling feeling buzzing beneath her skin. Through the blackness, much further away then she'd expected, a spot of red light shown in the distance. And from what she could tell, it was moving. Fast.

Weiss' eyes snapped open. _Ruby's running from something. I-I need to get to her._ Her head turned towards the elevator, then to the stairwell door beside it. _I'm ten stories up, by the time I reach the ground floor…_

An idea struck her. A stupid one, but at the moment, Weiss didn't care. It would work. She'd proven that once already this week.

Weiss ran to the windows, ignoring the baffled looks of the students in the nearby terminals. Scanning quickly, she found the window's latches, and pulled. The window shuddered, and Weiss wasted no time in pushing it to open. As the massive pane of glass lifted upwards, Weiss climbed on top of the terminals. She ignored the shouts of surprise and panic around her as she extended her arm out the open window. She twitched her fingers into a familiar pattern, pausing just long enough to make sure she'd succeeded in her attempt.

And jumped.

A shriek of horror sounded behind her as she leapt from the window. Weiss ignored it, bending her knees to soften her landing. Seconds later, her feet touched the cool surface a glyph, the large snowflake hanging high above the school grounds. Wasting no time, Weiss took off in a run, summoning another glyph a few feet in front and below the first. Weiss lept from the glyph, landing on the second.

As the first glyph phased out of existence, Weiss was already forming the third. Run, glyph, jump. Run, glyph, jump. Over and over, Weiss kept up a rhythm, leaping from glyph to glyph, all the while trying to pinpoint where exactly Ruby was.

 _How did she get so far away so fast?_ Weiss thought as tried to jump against a sudden gust of wind. _She's practically downtown!_

Weiss winced as another high wind buffed her from the side mid-jump. Her landing was a little wobbly, but she pushed on. She formed the next glyph, when Ruby's emotions suddenly spiked.

 _ **Pain. Fear. Panic.**_

Weiss' heart hammered against her chest as she sucked in a harsh breath. She pushed herself to move faster, her hands flying through the motions to summon glyph after glyph. Buildings passed below her as she crossed the border from Beacon into Vale, but Ruby still felt so far away.

 _Come on,_ Weiss thought desperately. _Ruby is in trouble._

Weiss braced herself as she landed on another glyph. She could feel her legs starting to tire, tingling with reach jump.

 _She needs my help._

She felt another jolt of panic from Ruby. Her body complained but she kept moving. The tingling moved up legs, creeping into her lower body.

 _I have to get to her. I have to be quicker._

The tingling moved to her chest. Her lungs were burning.

 _I have to move…_

She took another leap, the tingling reaching her neck as her feet landed, ready to run.

 _Faster._

 _ **Whoosh!**_

Suddenly, everything went white. To Weiss' alarm, she couldn't feel her glyph beneath her feet, and she could feel herself falling. In a panic, Weiss squeezed her eyes shut, throwing her arms out to form a hasty glyph under her. She landed on her stomach hard, knocking the wind out of her.

Pushing herself shakily to her knees, Weiss opened her eyes, looking down through her glyph. She was hanging just a few stories above a city street. A few cars waited at a stop light, some people walking down the sidewalks window shopping.

Weiss took a few deep breaths, trying to ignore the blood rushing in her ears. She looked back up at the sky, her eyes squinting in confusion. _What… what just…?_

 _ **Panic. PANIC!**_

Weiss' eyes shot wide, her head snapping down the street. To her abject horror, Ruby came tumbling through the air out of an alleyway. The sniper skidded across the pavement, into the street…

Right in the path of a speeding truck.

" _ **RUBY!"**_ Weiss' scream tore from her throat at the same moment the truck's horn blew.

She watched in terror as Ruby lept to her feet, spinning around to face the truck rushing towards her. Suddenly, someone ran out of the alley, pushing Ruby out of the way.

 **CRASH!**

Weiss stared with wide eyes, not quite sure what she was seeing. Where Ruby had been just a few seconds ago, Penny now stood, a crater carved in the pavement around her. Her hands were on the crumpled hood of the truck, the old man behind the wheel staring at Penny in fear. On the sidewalk, Ruby had the same look on her face, her silver eyes wide.

Penny looked between the two, then at the onlookers gathering on the sidewalk. She looked down at her hands, flinching, before balling them into fists. She immediately bolted, pushing passed Ruby and running into a different alleyway. Ruby ran after her seconds later.

Weiss blinked at the street below, trying to make sense of what just happened. Then, she saw two people run out of the alley Ruby and Penny had come from. Atlas soldiers. This made her frown. Why were Ruby and Penny running from Atlas soldiers? Weiss summoned a few glyphs, wanting to get down to the street as fast as possible.

Hurrying to reach the ground, Weiss didn't notice the red glow fading from her Mark, nor the white rose petals dancing in the wind behind her.

* * *

 **A/n: … I regret nothing other than how long this chapter took to come out.**

 **For the record, the time frame for "A Minor Hiccup" and "Painting the Town..." is complete bulls***. Given how short Weiss' talk with the SDC Operator is, the only way Ruby and Weiss' portion of the info gathering fits in with Blake and Yang's is if they just meandered around Beacon for two hours before going to the CCT. So, I'm taking some liberties with how much time passes between events here.**

 **Also, Ruby and Weiss were at Beacon Academy. How did Ruby chase Penny all the way into the city so quick? Ugh. I love this show, but stuff like this makes adapting it for a fanfiction a real headache.**

 **I don't care how long it takes, I don't care if I got to have a 10k word chapter to do it, but I swear this: Next chapter, Bot Fight! It's been almost a year since I started planning for it, it's time to make it happen. See ya then!**


	30. Chapter 30: Of Soldiers and Souls

**Chapter 30: Of Soldiers and Souls**

 **Vale Outskirts**

It's been said that every city, no matter how beautiful its skyline or kind it's people, has a dark side hidden just beneath the surface.

As Sun looked at the crumbling buildings and cracked roads around him, he could tell that Vale was no exception. While not quite the slum that he'd expected from Blake's description, the street they were walking down clearly lacked the warmth and charm most of the city had. Graffitied walls, litter everywhere, and more than a few broken windows; It was more than enough to make him uneasy.

Sun looked upwards, the now orange sky slowly tinting darker. The rally was set to start in just a few minutes, in a warehouse they'd passed just one street over. The plan was to wait until it was just about to start so they would be the last people through the door. Hopefully that would lessen the chance of anyone recognizing Blake, and put them closer to the exit in case things went pear-shaped.

It was a good plan, he had to admit. Unfortunately, right when they we about to enter, they hit a snag.

Sun turned back to Blake, watching her expression carefully. The cat Faunus leaned against a graffitied wall, her eyes closed as her face twitched every few seconds. Her hands were opening and closing every few seconds, her shoulders tense.

Sun let out a huff, hating how useless he felt. They'd been not ten feet from the door when Blake had tensed up, Ruby's name spilling from her lips. Sun just counted his lucky stars that he'd noticed, otherwise Blake's little freakout would have been in front of the dozen or so Faunus milling around outside the warehouse. Instead, he quickly wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulled her close and just kept walking. He'd gotten a funny look from some ram Faunus, but he just grinned and whispered "Nerves" as they'd passed, like that explained everything.

Now, all Sun could do was just watch as Blake fought against the very clear urge to run to Ruby, and Weiss, seeing as her name had soon followed once Sun had lead Blake around the corner.

 _Man, this part of being Mated must suck._ Sun thought to himself, having pieced together what was likely happening to Blake. _Knowing your Mates are in trouble and there being jack-all you can do about it? Ouch._

His thoughts were broken when he heard Blake let out a deep breath. Her shoulders sagged in relief, her cat ears drooping. She opened her eyes, staring down at the ground.

"You okay?" Sun asked carefully.

Blake took a second, shaking her head clear. "Y-Yeah, I think so. Sorry about that."

"What happened?"

She frowned. "I'm not sure. Ruby was scared and worried about something. Weiss started moving towards her, then…"

"Then…?" Sun goaded.

Blake shrugged. "I don't know. It was like… she vanished for a moment. Then she felt terrified of something. Then both her and Ruby were scared."

"Geez." Sun muttered in distress. "Are they okay?"

Blake took a few deep breaths. "I think so. They're both worried and confused, but they're calmer now." She looked down sharply, her cheeks tinting in embarrassment. "Sorry you had to see that. And… thank you for getting me out of there."

Sun waved her off, smiling. "Don't bother. New relationship, I figured a few things are probably overwhelming. It's cool. Though, do me a favor?" When Blake looked quizzically at him, he gave a joking grin. "Don't tell Yang I did the 'boyfriend lead-and-walk' thing? I saw that look she gave Nep earlier, and I like my internal organs right where they are, thank you very much."

Blake grinned back at him. "Sure." She glanced around the area, seeing several Faunus making their way towards the warehouse. "We need to get going. We're going to miss the rally."

She went to walk around the corner, when Sun grabbed her by the arm. "Hold up for a sec. We got a small problem first."

"What is it?"

"Um, well…" Sun rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Not quite sure how to phrase this… when you were, uh, _checking_ on Ruby and Weiss, I kinda noticed something that might be a bit of a problem."

Blake frowned. "What?"

Sun grimaced. "First off, I'd like to say that your Mate's Mark has a very impressive design, shows off your bond with your Mates wonderfully, very colorful…"

"Sun…" Blake said warningly, eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out when he was going with this.

Sun let out a groan. "Look, it's just… there's going to be nothing but Faunus and White Fang members in there, right?"

Blake nodded, still confused.

"... you do realize the Schnee logo is part of your Mate's Mark, right?"

In an instant, Blake felt her whole body go numb. No, she hadn't realized that, not fully. Blake was suddenly aware of how much the image of that snowflake had shifted away from the company to her, and had become something she attributed as a part of Weiss. The white-hot rage she'd once felt seeing that snowflake, while still there, had been buried beneath the image of a white-haired girl with crystal-blue eyes that came to mind instead.

To every other Faunus in the city, however? While the snowflake in her Mark was blue instead of white (for reasons none of them had figured out yet), it was still very clearly the Schnee logo.

And she was about to walk into a _White Fang_ rally with it proudly on display.

"What do I do?" Blake hissed, slapping her hand over her Mark. "How did I not realize this!?"

Sun could only shrug. "Stress? You've been running a mile a minute since I met up with you today." When Blake's only response was to _glare_ at him, Sun backtracked. "Okay, um… cover it up with something? You got a necklace or something you could wear?"

Blake blinked. She looked down at her jacket, slowly reaching into one of it's pockets. Hesitantly, she pulled out a folded up stretch of black fabric.

Sun's eyebrows raised when he saw the familiar bow. "You still have that thing on you?"

Blake looked down at the bow, frowning. "I don't want to wear it anymore, but… It didn't feel right to throw it away." Quickly unfolding the bow, she wrapped it a few times around her neck, tying it off with a simple knot. "How's that?"

Sun looked her over, focusing on her Mark. "Not bad. I can still see the other three symbols, and the bottom spike of the snowflake, but other then that… I think you're good."

Blake nodded at him, satisfied. Then she frowned sadly as she ran her finger across the hidden snowflake. "Sorry, Weiss." She murmured softly.

Not sure what to say to that, Sun simply bobbed his head towards the warehouse, which was quickly filling to capacity. "C'mon." He said, flashing a smile. "Let's go find out what our Fangy friends are up to."

Blake smiled back, appreciating the gesture. "Let's go."

* * *

 **Alleyway in Downtown Vale**

Ruby was freaking out.

Things had been going so well, too. She'd caught up with Penny not to long after leaving Weiss (who, she'd noted to herself, she was going to owe _big time_ for pretty much abandoning on the SDC's doorstep). After finally convincing the odd girl to talk to her, Ruby had let Penny lead her into the city. It had been nice, just hanging out with someone other than her teammates or the other Beacon students. She had just been about to get Penny to open up, to tell her what was bothering her so much, when they'd stumbled across a display stage for the Atlassian Military.

Ruby had been mesmerized by the new type of robots meant to replace the older models, not to mention the giant mech they had displayed, but Penny had seemed… nervous. As the display went on, she'd gotten more and more on edge, telling Ruby that they should leave. Ruby hadn't really noticed, too enthralled by all the new weaponry, until Penny suddenly took off in a dead run away from the stage. Ruby had been confused for all of a second, before she noticed the two Atlassian soldiers running towards them.

After that, it was all a blur of running and ducking through alleyways, Ruby trying to lose the soldiers, while at the same time catch up to Penny. And when she finally did…

It was such a stupid mistake. No doubt Weiss would tell her the same thing later. She'd grabbed Penny around the waist, jumping onto a wall to rocket them away in the blur of her Semblance, but… she'd landed wrong. She could feel it the moment she'd touched the wall, the way her ankle had twisted when she pushed off. The pain was just enough to make her lose focus, to stop her Semblance and send the two of them skidding across the ground and Ruby into the street.

Then…

Ruby risked a glance back as she ran down the alley after Penny, back at the wrecked truck and broken road.

How? How had Penny done that? Even Yang would have had to sit down after stopping a truck that big, moving that fast, but Penny… she did it like it was nothing! She hadn't struggled, she hadn't grunted in effort; The truck just stopped dead the moment it hit her. And afterward… she wasn't even breathing hard!

Ruby turned back ahead, ignoring the throbbing in her ankle (she could already feel her aura working to heal the damage). She turned a corner and found Penny standing at a crossroads in the alley, looking franticly between the different paths. She could hear the girl muttering to herself. "Oh… where do I…? Uh… Um…"

"Penny!" Ruby called out as she neared the panicking girl, who stiffened at her call, whirling around in panic. "Please! What is going on?" Ruby couldn't help it, the questions just started tumbling out. Why are you running? How did you do that!?"

The sheer helplessness in Penny's wide green eyes broke Ruby's heart. "I-I can't! Everything's fine- _Hic_ _ **!**_ " Penny's whole body jerked as she suddenly hiccuped. The girl grimaced, wrapping her arms around her stomach.

"I-I don't want to talk about it- _Hic!_ "

* * *

 **Moments Earlier**

Weiss was stupefied as she approached the carnage on the road. The pavement was cracked and shattered, a ten foot indent in the road, as if something had dropped out of the sky and crashed there. In the crater, a delivery truck sat smoking, its front end crumpled in on itself.

People were starting to gather around the crater, newcomers asking what had happened. Weiss could hear snippets of different conversations, people explaining that a teenage girl had stopped the speeding truck without effort.

Not that Weiss need to be told that. She'd seen the whole event herself. Though, she was still working on believing it.

Doing her best to avoid drawing attention to herself, Weiss slipped around the crowd and made her way to the alleyway opening. She scanned the crowd quickly, taking note of the two Atlassian soldiers she had seen before. To their credit, whatever reason they had been chasing Penny and Ruby for had been put on hold, the two soldiers instead taking time to check on the people around the crash sight. One of them was questioning bystanders, while the other was helping the old man out of his wrecked truck with the support of a civilian.

Seeing that they were occupied, Weiss ducked into the alley. Through the Link, she could tell that Ruby had stopped just up ahead, and was filled with just as much confusion and shock as Weiss herself was. Weiss picked up the pace, hoping that between Ruby and Penny, she would get some answers.

 _What happened?_ She thought to herself. _What were you two running from? And what… was that? Some type of Semblance? It must have been. How else could Penny just…_ stop _that truck?_

Weiss kept turning the event over in her head as she marched up the alleyway, nearing the corner. She could feel Ruby just around it-

" _Penny, if you can just tell me what's wrong, I can help you!"_

-and hear her, apparently.

Weiss' brow furrowed at the panic and frustration in Ruby's voice. While her first instinct was see what was going on, something (probably the slight tingling sensation at the back of her mind) told her that she shouldn't interrupt. So, she took a page out of Ruby's book.

Pressing herself against the building wall, Weiss peered around the corner, hoping that the two girls wouldn't notice her.

* * *

Penny curled in on herself, ducking her head so as not to meet Ruby's eyes.

Ruby stared at her helplessly. Penny turned away from Ruby, She was shaking. "No! No, no! You wouldn't understand!"

 _Understand what?_ "Let me try!" Ruby yelled desperately. "You can trust me!"

Penny shook her head, still facing away from Ruby. Then, her shoulders tensed, and the girl spun around, clutching her tightened fists to her chest. The sheer helplessness in her eyes made Ruby flinch.

"You're my friend, right?" The mix of desperation and hope in her voice nearly tore Ruby's heart in two. "You promise you're my friend?"

Ruby didn't even hesitate. Reaching out, she wrapped Penny's hands in her own, giving them a squeeze. She tried to muster up her best smile, making sure that Penny could see the honesty in her eyes. "I promise."

Penny's eyes widened, both at Ruby's soft voice and at the hands now holding her own. She looked down at their clasped hands. She closed her eyes. "Ruby…"

With Ruby still grasping them, Penny slowly turned her hands over, opening her fists.

"... I'm not a real girl."

Ruby stared at the hands she was holding. She blinked. The blinked again. "Oh." She said softly, her mouth opening slightly in surprise.

Penny's palms had been ripped open when she stopped the truck, but instead of muscle and blood beneath her skin, Ruby saw grey metal. Plates of metal made up the different parts of her hands, a faint green light glowing in the spaces between them.

"Penny, I… I don't understand." Ruby muttered.

Penny opened her eyes, staring down at her damaged hands. "Most girls are born, but I was made." Her lips curved up slightly, a hint of pride in her voice. "I'm the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an Aura." Her smile quickly faded as she balled her fists, hanging her head in shame. "I'm not real…"

Ruby's eyes darted up, meeting Penny's saddened face. She frowned at the self-described-synthetic girl's words. Knitting her brow together, Ruby moved her hands over Penny's pulling at her fingers to loosen her fists. Penny shot her an uncertain look, but allowed Ruby to open her hands.

Ruby stared at the grey metal of Penny's palms for a moment. Then, slowly, she rubbed her thumbs against the Penny's palms. The metal was smooth and warm to the touch. After a moment, Ruby noticed a slight trembling feeling against her skin, a hum coming from under the metal.

Ruby looked up to meet Penny's eyes. A soft smile played on her lips. "Of course you are." Her grin widened when she saw the stunned look on Penny's face. "You think just because you've got nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts makes you any less real than me?"

Penny blinked at her, looking very unsure of Ruby's words. "I don't… um…" She leaned towards Ruby, squinting at her. "You…

" _Miss Schnee?"_

Both of them jumped at the sudden deep voice coming from around the corner. Ruby suddenly felt a slew of extra emotions, each tinged with a slight chill:

 _Surprise, worry. Panic, then Resolve._

Ruby hesitated for just a second, before pulling sharply on Penny's wrists, pushing the girl and herself against the wall and out of sight. Slowly, she peered around the corner, her eyes widening at what she saw.

* * *

Weiss whirled around, startled by the call of her Dust-forsaken last name. She'd been so focused on the conversation before her, her brain working overtime trying to process the rather unbelievable and fantastical revelation about her quirky new friend, that she hadn't noticed the footsteps approaching her from behind. When her eyes fell on the interlopers, her stomach dropped.

The two soldiers from before were standing just a few paces away from her, staring at her behind their visored helmets. Though she couldn't see their faces, their confusion was made clear by the tone of voice one of them had used. The awkward way they both straightened up once she turned their eyes to her did not help matters.

Weiss heard a shuffling sound behind her, and Weiss had a feeling she knew what it was. A quick scan of the Link told her that, yes, Ruby was now just a few feet behind her, just on the other side of the corner. She could feel her girlfriend's curiosity, followed by surprise, then worry, mixed with protectiveness. Whether she was feeling protective of Penny or herself, Weiss couldn't tell. It was a rather strong feeling, though. Maybe both?

That protective feeling bolstered Weiss' own, making the girl set her lips into a firm line. Ignoring the jumbled mess that was her inner thoughts ( _Penny is a robot; how do you even_ begin _to react to that?_ ) Weiss straightened up her posture, lifting her chin in a well-practiced act of superiority.

"Can I help you, officers?" She asked, her tone polite, but with a slight edge to it.

The two soldiers glanced at each other. One shook his head, while the other subtly shrugged. Looking back at her, the one on the left cleared his throat. "Um… Our apologies, Miss Schnee. We were following a…" He hesitated, likely thinking over the best way to phrase his words. "...person of great importance." He said after an awkward moment. "We didn't expect to encounter you here."

Weiss stared at the two soldiers, her mind racing. There were a few ways she could handle this, none of them guaranteed to work. Should she try and play dumb? No, then they'd just go past her and find Penny. Maybe tell them she saw Penny run down a different alleyway and send them running the wrong way? Possibly, but it would leave these two soldiers wandering Vale for who-knows-how-long, and they still might doubleback and find her anyway. Maybe-

Weiss blinked as an idea came to her. Maybe she should try a more direct approach.

 _Well… they're already expecting me to act like a Schnee._ Tilting her head ever so slightly, her eyes narrowing just a bit, Weiss tried to emulate the way she'd seen Winter interact with her subordinates. "Oh? May I ask who this person is? Perhaps I've seen them."

The soldiers looked at each other again, and Weiss could just imagine what was going through their heads. After all, while she was technically a civilian, she was also a Schnee. And when it came to those from Atlas, being a Schnee gave you certain rights.

… completely bogus, borderline illegal rights, which meant no one from the Atlassian military actually had to tell her anything. But, if she was lucky, these two regular soldiers wouldn't know that.

One of them seemed to take initiative, taking a step towards her. "We're looking for a girl about your age, Miss. Orange hair, green eyes, wearing a bow and green skirt. We saw her go this way with a younger girl in a red cloak."

Weiss felt Ruby's nervousness spike behind her. Weiss tried to send her a feeling of calm, telling her to relax… then sent over a bit of sheepish remorse.

Because she had a feeling that the next words out of her mouth were going to freak Ruby out.

Putting on her best look of surprise, Weiss said, "Orange hair and green…" Realization came over her face, and she smiled humorously at the soldiers. "You must mean Penny!"

In an instant, Ruby's worry shot up to outright startled panic and disbelief. Weiss could just imagine the look on her face.

 _Don't freak out, don't freak out!_ Weiss thought desperately, praying Ruby would feel the emotions behind her thoughts. _I have a plan, just trust me!_

To her relief, Ruby's panic lessened almost immediately, simmering down to a feeling of unease. There was a feeling of trust behind it, though, which Weiss took to heart.

While Weiss and Ruby had their brief emotional exchange, the two soldiers took a step back from her in shock. Looking closely, she could see their eyes widen behind their visors.

"You know Penny?" One asked in disbelief.

Weiss frowned at him, looking perfectly affronted. "Of course. She's a friend of mine."

Somehow, their eyes widened further. Then they narrowed in suspicion. "She is?"

Weiss frown deepened. "Yes, she is. May I ask why you are looking for her?"

Again, they hesitated. Then the one on the left sighed in resignation, standing up a little straighter. "Part of our assignment is to keep an eye on her for her father, but she went off on her own today to explore the city. We were told to bring her back to General Ironwood if we saw her, but she ran off when we did, along with another girl."

Well, Weiss had to give them credit. She had not been expecting such a direct answer, and it briefly threw her for a loop. Weiss collected herself almost immediately, her surprise masked behind feigned realization. "Oh, my. I didn't realise we would be causing you gentlemen so much trouble."

The soldiers blinked behind their visors. "We?" The right one asked in confusion.

Weiss just smiled, trying to ignore Ruby's nervousness and growing confusion. "Earlier today, my partner Ruby and I encountered Penny on the Beacon grounds. We talked for a bit, before deciding to spend the day together. I still had some business to take care of at the Academy, so Penny and Ruby went ahead into the city. We were meant to meet up here when I was finished."

The two soldiers were silent at her explanation. The one on the left turned his head slightly from side to side, looking over the alleyway. "You told them to meet you… here?" While his tone was still respectful, Weiss could hear the skepticism in it.

Weiss made a show of following his gaze, lingering over the graffiti and cracked walls. Her smile turned sheepish. "There's a quaint little cafe I like not too far from here. As for the alley, well… I figured discretion was in order, given my family's fame and Penny's… situation."

Shock emanated from the Link, and the soldiers stiffened, staring at Weiss with wide eyes.

"Y-You know about Penny?" The left one murmured faintly. "That she's…"

Weiss eyes narrowed, a frown on her lips. "Yes," She said, her voice lowering to a hiss. "And I would ask you not to speak of her status _in public_." She stressed her ending words, hoping that knowledge of a synthetic lifeform really was a classified as she assumed.

The other soldier apparently agreed, shooting his partner a quick glare. He then turned back to Weiss. "Miss Schnee, we saw Penny and your partner run this way. Do you have any idea where they are?"

 _Ah. Well… that's about as far as I can take this charade, isn't it?_ Weiss thought as she tried to think up a plausible answer. "I only just got here myself." She eventually said. "Perhaps they went down a different path than the one I came from?" As she spoke, Weiss was praying that Ruby would catch onto what she was about to attempt. She pulled her scroll out of her pocket, showing it to the soldiers. "I could try to call them, if you'd like. They couldn't have gone far."

After a moment, the soldier on the right nodded. "That would be most appreciated Miss-"

"Weiss!"

Weiss felt her nerves somehow lessen and increase at the same time. "Oh, that's them now." She looked over her shoulder, finding Ruby coming around the corner with a slightly-too-wide smile on her face, dragging a bewildered and very nervous Penny behind her by the arm. Weiss saw the way Penny's eyes darted between herself and the soldiers. For not being 'real', she saw a striking amount of fear in Penny's green eyes.

"Sorry, Weiss." Ruby said, rubbing the back of her head with her free hand. She smiled sheepishly, though Weiss could tell it was forced. "We made a wrong turn and had to double back. Oh!" Ruby let out a startled gasp as she looked at the soldiers. "Who are your friends?"

Weiss held back a groan at Ruby's poorly feigned enthusiasm. _Note to self, get Ruby acting lessons._

Thankfully, Ruby's words were ignored. The moment Penny came around the corner, the soldiers sagged in relief. "Penny," The right on started, staring past Weiss and Ruby towards the synthetic girl. "You know you can't just wander around the city by yourself like this."

Penny seemed to shrink in on herself, ducking her head as she met his visored gaze. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to explore the city for a little while."

"Why did you run from us?" The left one interjected, exasperation in his tone.

Penny shrank further, her shoulders hunching. "I didn't want to go back yet. And…" She glanced nervously between Ruby and Wiess. "I was afraid I'd get my friends in trouble."

Both soldiers started, saying nothing. The right one slowly panned to look at Ruby, then Weiss. He fixed Penny with a firm look. "These two are really your friends?"

Penny blinked at him, before smiling broadly. "Yes, they are! Ruby is so much fun to be around, and Weiss has been ever so kind."

Penny's words took Weiss by surprise. She and Penny had spent almost no time together, yet the girl's tone sounded genuine. Weiss allowed herself a small smile.

The soldier looked between Weiss and Ruby in scrutiny. Weiss could feel the scepticism in his gaze, and met it with a determined look of her own. After a moment, the soldier seemed to relent. He let out a small huff, a small bit of kindness creeping into his voice. "Fine. We should probably return to the General, Penny. He and your father are probably worried."

Penny stiffened at that, her eyes widening. Then her whole body slumped in resignation, green eyes falling to the ground. "Okay…"

Ruby quickly looked between Penny and the soldiers, panic and worry rolling off her in waves. "Wait a second!" She nearly shouted. She then wilted when both soldiers looked to her in tandem, eyes hidden beneath their helmets. "I mean… please, Mr. Soldier… man… sir..." She tapered off awkwardly under their gaze. Still shrinking under their scrutiny, Ruby asked. "Can't Penny stay out for a little bit longer? Just a few more hours?"

"I'm afraid not, Miss." The right one said. "We are under specific orders to bring Penny back to base if we saw her."

"But…" Ruby's eyes flicked between them and Penny, who was staring at Ruby with a mix of confusion and… hope, maybe? Then Ruby looked towards Weiss, and the heiress found herself pinned beneath both those silver eyes and the emotions behind them.

 _Helplessness. Desperation. Worry. Sadness._

Holding back a groan, Weiss stepped forward to save her poor partner. "Gentlemen, surely there is nothing so urgent that it requires Penny right this second."

The soldier paused, then looked at each other. Weiss could practically hear the question they were both thinking: She's a Schnee. What do we do?

Weiss hated it. Having her family's reputation was bad enough. Purposefully using it to get her way felt like she was taking a massive step backwards. But if it helped get that scared-puppy look off Ruby's face… she could put up with the feeling, at least for the moment.

"I… don't know, Miss Schnee." One of them said hesitantly, turning back to face her. "We are under orders…"

"I can assure you, sirs, she will be well taken care of. We'll even make an effort to stay away from prying eyes, if you'd like."

The soldier shifted his weight nervously. "I don't know…" He glanced at his fellow soldier, who seemed just as lost. "We really don't have the authority to make that decision."

A sudden thought struck Weiss. One that seemed just as likely to backfire spectacularly as it was to work perfectly. With an innocent look, she held out her scroll for them to see. "If you'd like, I could call my sister Winter to ask permission." At her sister's name, both soldiers stiffened. Then Weiss opened her scroll, adding, "I believe she's in a meeting with my father at the moment, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind being interrupted for-"

"That won't be necessary!" The one on the left practically shouted. "There's no need to bother Specialist Winter with this… right?" He looked over at his fellow soldier, hope in his voice.

The other man stared back silently. He looked over the three girls, his gaze lingering on Penny. She stared back at him, her eyes hopeful and pleading. Finally, he sighed in resignation. "I… suppose not."

Penny blinked at him, stunned. "You… you mean…?"

"Our shift ends at 2200. Be back at base before then."

Penny was silent for a moment, then her face split into a large smile. She snapped into a salute, beaming. "Yes sir, Lieutenant. I will see you then."

The soldier saluted back. "Stay out of trouble. And…" The man's tone softened a bit, a smile in his voice. "Have fun with your friends, Penny." He then nodded to Weiss and Ruby. "Miss Schnee. Ma'am." Gesturing at the other soldier, who nodded to Penny as well, the two members of the Atlassian military made their way back down the alley.

Weiss watched them in slight disbelief, her shoulders tight. She didn't relax until the two men had disappeared around the corner. She let out a deep breath, her shoulders sagging in relief. _I can't believe that worked. That could have gone so-_ "Hrk!"

Weiss grunted as something suddenly slammed into her side, wrapping around her.

"Weiss!" Ruby squealed as she crushed the heiress in a hug. "That was amazing! You're the best girlfriend ever!"

Face heating from the surprise praise, Weiss gave Ruby a playful smirk. "I'll be sure to tell Blake you said that."

Instantly, Ruby reared back her head from it's place against Weiss' neck, eyes wide with panic. "Uh… well, I mean… um…" She stuttered, grasping for a defense. Then she saw Weiss' widening grin. She pouted, her cheeks puffing out slightly. "Oh, you know what I meant!"

Weiss allowed herself a small laugh at her partner's expense, then turned her attention to Penny. The girl was standing off to the side, watching the two in curiosity. When blue eyes met green, Penny quickly averted her gaze.

In that moment, awkwardness filled the alley. Ruby seemed to notice, pulling away from Weiss to look between her and her friend, concern plain on her face.

Weiss was at a loss. She wanted the soldiers gone so she could process the whole situation, but now that she had, she had no idea what to do, what to say. How do you talk to someone about how they were a robot? Was that even the proper term? What do-

"How did you know?"

Penny's hesitant voice jolted Weiss from her thoughts. She met the girl's eyes, which quickly darted away again.

"Know what?" Weiss asked, her tone carefully neutral.

Penny shifted her weight from one foot to the other (why would a robot do that?), slowly meeting Weiss eyes. "About your sister." When Weiss just blinked back at her, confused, she elaborated. "All information about my development is highly classified. Specialist Winter is one of General Ironside's most trusted officers, and one of the only people to have known about me before I was… completed. I doubt she would share military secrets with anyone outside the know. How did you know that your sister was part of my project?"

Weiss let out a small sound of understanding. _A fair question. The answer however..._

"Honestly?" Weiss' eyes darted away for a moment. "I… didn't."

Penny was taken aback by this, her eyes widening. "What?"

Weiss stomped down the urge to bite her lip, forcing herself to explain. "I assumed that the first ever… 'synthetic person?'" She paused, hoping she'd gotten the term right. When Penny gave a small nod, she went on. "... would be highly classified. Winter is always working close to General Ironwood, so… I guessed."

Penny tilted her head a little, perplexed. "That seems rather… risky."

Weiss nodded in concession. "I blame Ruby. Her impulsiveness is contagious."

"Hey!"

Weiss cracked a smile at Ruby's outrage, and saw Penny's lip twitch upwards. Her eyes drifted downwards to Penny's hands, still clenched firmly into fists at her sides. Penny noticed her gaze, quickly crossing her arms with a nervous look on her face.

Weiss frowned at that. She glanced at Ruby, who frowned back, concern in her silver eyes as she turned back to Penny. Weiss did the same. "Penny?" She asked.

Green eyes met icy blue. "Yes?"

Weiss hesitated for a moment, thinking over her options. Still holding Penny's gaze, she extended her hand, palm up. "May I?"

Penny's eyes widened. She glanced at Ruby, who gave her an encouraging nod. Slowly, Penny laid her hand in Weiss', the bare metal of her palm gleaming in the evening light.

With her free hand, Weiss ran her fingers across Penny's palm, feeling the warmth the metal gave off.

"Penny," She started, eyes never leaving the girl's broken skin. "Why do you think you're not real?"

Penny was surprised by the question, then followed Weiss gaze, frowning at the metal. "I wasn't born. I was built. I can think for myself, I can feel emotion, but… it's all programing. I was made to be the perfect simulation of a human being… and that's all I am. A simulation of life. Not the real thing."

"Penny, that's not true!" Ruby piped up, grasping Penny's forearm. "You're our friend! That's real."

Penny smiled at Ruby. "I know, Ruby, and I'm thankful for that. But-"

"No buts!" Ruby said sternly, startling Penny when she shoved a finger in her face. "You're not just a simulation, Penny. You have a heart. A soul." She placed her hand over her chest. "I can feel it."

Penny stared at Ruby with wide eyes, her lips parting slightly. "Ruby…" She murmured faintly.

"A soul…"

They both turned their attention back to Weiss, who was still looking over Penny's hand. Ruby noticed the way Weiss' eyes were narrowed slightly, irises shaking slightly like they always did when Weiss' mind was moving at a rapid pace. Weiss suddenly raised her head, meeting Penny's eyes. "Penny, you said earlier that you can generate an aura?"

Penny blinked then nodded. "Yes… why do you ask?"

Weiss nodded back, still mulling something over as she let Penny's hand drop. Then she smiled, soft and humorous. "Then I think you answered your own question. What do you know about the myths behind aura?"

Penny frowned, not following. "Not much. Most of the information in my… data bank," She said the work awkwardly, unsure about referring to synthetic nature so casually. "... is purely scientific."

Ruby, who had been just as confused as Penny, physically jolted when realized where Weiss was going with this. She smiled at Penny, her beaming grin just serving to confuse the android even more.

Weiss elaborated. "One of the main beliefs about aura- and one that both Ruby and myself believe- is that aura is actually our souls made manifest."

Ruby's grin widened even further. "And if you have aura…"

Penny looked between them both, the gears in her head (no pun intended) turning. Slowly, her eyes widened in realization. "You think that, since I have an aura… I have a soul?"

Weiss nodded, a satisfied smile on her lips. "It's rather hard to fathom how someone with a soul could be anything other than 'real.'"

Penny blinked. The again. Weiss thought she actually saw Penny's eyes flash briefly. "You… you two really think I'm real?" Her voice was hesitant, almost scared.

Ruby nodded vigorously, Weiss giving a curt one of her own, still smiling.

Penny went completely still, a look of awe on her face, allowing the two partners to notice for the first time how Penny's chest never moved like one would expect from a living, breathing person. Then Penny lunged.

Grabbing each girl around the waist with one arm, Penny pulled Weiss and Ruby into a hug that put Yang's Bear hugs to shame. Weiss was certain she heard Ruby's ribs crack… or was that her own?

"Weiss… Ruby…" Penny rasped out as she squeezed them, her voice thick with emotion. "Oh, you're the best friends anyone could have!"

Struggling to breath, Weiss gasped out, "I... try…"

Ruby wasn't much better off. "I can see why your father wanted to protect such a... delicate flower…" Even strangled, Weiss could hear the slight sarcasm in her voice.

 _Her father?_ Weiss made a note to ask about that later.

Penny released them, oblivious to their gasps of air when she did. "So, um…" Penny placed her arms behind her back, shuffling her feet awkwardly. "I'm not sure where to go from here. Is there something you two would like to do?"

After getting her breath back, Ruby spoke. "Well…" Then she blinked, realizing something. "Oh! Me and Weiss were going to meet up with Blake and Yang at a club downtown. Want to come with us?"

Weiss shot Ruby a look, frowning in disapproval. "Ruby…"

"What?" Ruby asked defensively. "We were!"

"Yes, to meet about…" She glanced at Penny, who was looking between them in confusion." "...the plan." She whispered.

At that, Ruby just gave another infuriating smile. "It's fine. We can trust Penny."

"Yes, but…" Weiss noted the determined glint in Ruby's eyes, as well as the sheer resolution she was feeling. Weiss let out a resigned sigh. "I'm not going to win this argument, am I?"

Ruby's grin was almost _too_ genuine. "Nope!"

Weiss groaned in defeat. "Well… Sun and Neptune already know, I suppose." She rationalized to herself. She pulled out her scroll, bringing up her contacts. "Just let me text Blake and Yang so they know we'll have a plus-one." She started typing out a message, muttering to herself. "I suppose I'll call a cab while I'm at it…"

Penny frowned at the exchange. "If it's really that much trouble…"

"It's fine, Penny." Weiss said as she closed her scroll, starting down the alleyway towards a different road, away from the truck wreck that was likely still there. "Just a… team project that keeps expanding outside the team. We'll tell you about it on the way."

Ruby nodded, following Weiss. "Yep! And we can answer any questions you may have!"

Penny smiled back at Ruby, walking alongside the two partners. "Okay. Actually, could I ask one now?"

"Sure!"

"When did you two get matching tattoos?"

* * *

 **White Fang Rally**

As the warehouse quickly filled, Roman Torchwick stayed out of sight, standing just behind the massive black curtain at the back of the main stage. He watched in mild amusement as several White Fang members ran back and forth around the warehouse, finding their marks to give the best appearance of strength they could. With the tip of his cane, he parted the curtain just enough to peek out at the crowd.

 _Word sure gets around,_ he mused to himself as he eyed the hundred-or-so Fanus youths gathering before the stage. He tried to see if he could spot a certain set of black cat ears, but between the mass of bodies and those annoying masks everyone was wearing, they all just bled together.

Pulling out his scroll, he typed a quick message to Neo, who he'd sent to get a better vantage point on the crowd.

 **RT- Any sign of a certain alley cat?**

A few seconds later, she responded.

 **N- No. More ppl coming in, tho**

Roman hummed in thought. This was the largest gathering the White Fang had had all month, publicly at least. After that whole debacle at the docks, Roman figured that little black cat would take the first chance she had to look into the White Fang. If there was ever a time to do so, this was it.

 _Though, if she doesn't show,_ he thought, _I'll at least have more time to plan. Maybe nab another Paladin to upgrade._

He looked up at his new pride and joy, grinning widely at the hulking mass of metal standing thirty feet tall.

In the back of his mind, he knew that it'd be better if nothing happened. He was already in hot water with Cinder over putting Beacon on lockdown the previous weekend, something she had made _abundantly_ clear the last time they'd talked. If this rally went off without a hitch, it would make his life so much easier.

But… there was something he needed to know. After going though the school records Neo had swiped, he'd found something… interesting. He still didn't know how to go ahead with that info. He'd _had_ a whole revenge plan in mind involving a Paladin and four snot-nosed brats, with the end result being four crimson smears across the Vale pavement, but now…

Roman shook his head, pushing the thoughts away. He had to focus on the rally and work his silver tongue on all the pups and kittens out there. If Kitty Cat showed up, Little Red wouldn't be too far behind. And then… he'd know, one way or the other. And if he was wrong… well, Plan A was still sounded fun.

Plus… he _really_ wanted to see what that Paladin could do. A mech that size, with all those guns… oh, just the thought of running wild with that thing got his blood pumping!

Roman let out a small chuckle. From the corner of his eye, he saw a Faunus with a full-face mask step out of the curtain to address the crowd.

 _Well, that's my cue._ He took his place at the curtain's opening, seeing Neo materialize next to the Paladin. He flashed her a cocky grin, earning a roll of mismatched eyes.

 _The night's still young,_ He thought, still smiling. _Who knows? Maybe I'll get to have some real fun yet._

* * *

 **A/n: Uh… looks like I was off by one. Sorry. '^_^**

 **Next chapter is already planned and started. I'm hoping to have it up by next weekend.**

 **I'm going to start editing old chapters and upload them to AO3, where I will make Arcs I and II their own stories. Just thought I'd let you all know.**

 **See you all next time for a laser-shooting, pillar punching, bot-breaking good time!**


	31. Chapter 31: Bot Fight! Part One

**Re-uploaded for anyone who missed it during the e-mail issues we had recently.**

* * *

 **Chapter 31: Bot Fight! - Part 1**

 **White Fang Rally**

Blake had felt her scroll buzz against her leg earlier, but didn't have the will to check it. All she could do was stare up at the stage in shock, amber eyes wide behind her borrowed mask.

Roman Torchwick. Here, at a White Fang rally, of all places.

She knew there was some connection between the career criminal and the White Fang, but this… this was unbelievable. Roman Torchwick, a _human_ , centerstage in front of nearly a hundred Faunus, by all appearances running the rally himself. Speaking about how he wasn't any different then them, having to put up with the same abuse that the Faunus people did.

 _And they were buying it._

"Is this guy for real?" Sun whispered next to her, low enough that no one around them would hear.

Blake could only shake her head in disbelief. This… this was worse than anything she'd thought. All these people, most of them her own age, were hanging onto Torchwick's every word. Worse, when he mentioned fighting against the government, purposefully hurting humans, they _cheered_.

 _Adam…_ she thought, her heart breaking as she watched all her father's work circle the drain. _What have you done?_

Just when she thought it couldn't get worse, Torchwick cut off his own speech with a snap of his fingers. The curtain behind him dropped to the ground.

"That… is a big robot." Sun stated dumbly, a hint of fear in his voice.

Blake couldn't blame him. She's seen pictures of the Atlas Paladin before, mostly on new sites she'd read when keeping tabs on the SDC and Atlas in general. The White Fang getting their hands on one would be bad enough, but this...

At one point it had been gleaming example of Atlas' military strength, brand new prototype so shiny you could see yourself in it. Now, the Paladin was something straight out of a nightmare. Solid plates of steel covered every gap in the original design, giving off the look of a tank turret with legs. There were obvious welding marks across the new armor, but they were buried under the war machine's new paint job: Solid black highlighted with red and orange, with Adam's White Fang symbol painted proudly on it's shoulder.

The crowd cheered at the sight of it, and Blake felt sick. Before she could even fully process everything, Torchwick started talking again.

"Now, I'm sure you've all at least heard about Atlas building a line of my new friend here." He banged the side of his cane off the Paladin's leg for emphasis, sending a deep, dull echo throughout the warehouse. "We'll thanks to my, um, 'employer', I was able to nab a few of these before they hit the shelves. You heard that right! The White Fang gets to use these bad boys before the Atlassian military does.

"Now, as you may have noticed, this big guy is not exactly 'factory standard.' This is my personal unit, which the White Fang so graciously helped me to enhance. As for the others, I've already sent them down to help your brothers and sisters at our new operation in the southeast. If you want to toil away here in the city, that's fine. But if you're truly ready to fight for what you believe in, this is the arsenal I can provide you." He flashed a smug smile. "Any questions?"

Blake's cat ears folded down against the roaring applause that answers Torchwick.

 _This… this is worse then I thought. Adam isn't just turning the White Fang into terrorists. He's making them into an army._

Blake couldn't take it anymore. She turned to Sun, finding him already staring at her behind his mask.

"We should get out of here." She said, unable to hide the tremor in her voice. Sun just nodded, holding onto her arm as he took a step back.

Suddenly, a voice sounded from the stage, coming from the full-masked Faunus beside Torchwick. "Will all new recruits, please come forward!"

Blake and Sun were suddenly pushed forward by the mass of people behind them. Unable to fight against the wave of excited Faunus, they had no choice but to move with the crowd towards the stage, where a pair of White Fang members had opened a box full of full-faced masks.

"What are we gonna do!?" Sun hissed to Blake, panic edging into his voice.

Blake's eyes darted all around the warehouse, trying to find something, anything that would aid their escape. With so many White Fang surrounding them, simply running wouldn't work. They needed a distraction. Her eyes trailed over the warehouse walls, at the cracked cement, windows brittle with age. There was an old junction box on the wall, likely powering the lights. Maybe…

"Aw, crap."

Blake felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up, Sun's quiet curse alerting her to the all-too-familiar sense that she was being watched. With dread, she followed Sun's gaze, back towards the stage.

Her heart stopped.

Roman Torchwick was staring right at her. And he was smiling.

* * *

 _Well, that couldn't have gone better if I tried._

Roman smirked to himself as nearly every Faunus in the room rushed the stage, each one still hooting and hollering in excitement. He even heard a few of them chanting his name. That was new. Yes, Cinder would be pleased. Hell, maybe the old matchstick would actually crack a smile for once.

Still, he couldn't help the disappointment lingering at the back of his mind. No sign of his elusive black cat. He'd tried to scan the entire crowd during his speech, but no luck. Either Kitty Cat hadn't showed, or she'd slipped in and out without him noticing.

 _Plan B it is, then_ , he thought begrudgingly. _Though, how the hell I'm going to get into Beacon without Ozzy_ or _Cinder noticing, I have no idea. Hmm… maybe I could get Neo to lure Little Red off campus? Longshot, but if I plan it right… if I'm right about this, maybe if Neo snags her cape? Yeah… that could-_

 _Bzzt._

Roman was broken from his musings by the buzzing of his scroll. Neo had messeged him.

 **N- Black cat at 10**

Roman arched an eyebrow, his head snapping to the left. His eyes trailed over the Faunus youths, looking for…

A wide grin spread across his face. Right there, near the back, was that same pair of cat ears he'd been waiting for, perched atop a head of long black hair. The outfit was new, but there was no mistake; Blake Belladonna, in the flesh. And as a bonus, Monkey Boy was with her! Even better!

Roman held back a chuckle as he watched the two draw closer, seeing the panic they were both in. They weren't getting a choice in coming towards him. They'd been swept up in the crowd, pushed forward by the excited wave of Faunus he'd smooth-talked.

Now, there were two ways he could go about his plan. One, simply talk to the Cat. Not as exciting as the other option, but it might be worth it just to see the look on her face. Or, two: wait for Kitty Cat to make the first move. Depending on how violent said move may be, he'd get the perfect opportunity to get the answers he wanted, and to give his new toy a test run.

His choice was made for him when Monkey Boy suddenly looked back up at the stage, and he could feel their gazes lock even through the boy's mask. Seconds later, Kitty Cat did the same. Roman was half-tempted to give a little wave to them both, just to see their reaction.

 _Okay, your move, kiddies. Whatcha gonna do no-_

In a flash, the Cat pulled out her weapon, and Roman found himself staring down the barrel of a pistol. He instinctively lifted his cane when he heard the gun fire, ready to block the shot, only to hear the bullet whiz past his head.

The warehouse went dark.

Faunus screamed in shock at the sound of the gun going off, but Roman was too busy being blind to care. Unlike everyone else in building, he was just a 'lowly human', as Bull Boy had called him once, and had none of the fabled night vision every Faunus so helpfully just _had_. He fumbled with his scroll, trying to bring up the flashlight feature on it, when he heard a voice sound over the panicky crowd.

"Sun, the window!"

Immediately after, he heard a window shatter to his right.

"Oh, no you don't!" He yelled out, stumbling backwards to where he knew the Paladin stood. He found it, banging his head off on of it's arms, before fumbling over the mech's surface in search of the cockpit door. Once his hand grasped around the handle, he pulled it open, being blinded by the red light spilling out.

He blinked away the stars in his eyes, pulling himself into the mech's seat. He hit a few keys on the console beside him, and the Paladin shuddered to life. The cockpit door lowered shut, and a screen lit up in front of him, showing him what the Paladin saw. A flick of a switch, and the video switched to night vision, showing him a crowd of confused, panicked Faunus, several White Fang soldiers storming the warehouse floor, Neo smirking down at him from up in the rafters…

And one completely broken window on the far wall.

A manic grin spread over Roman's face. He didn't even hesitate, just grasping the Paladin's controls and pushing them forward. Fifty tons of mech shot across the stage, slamming into the warehouse wall, blasting through it like tissue paper. In the distance, he could see Monkey Boy and Kitty Cat running towards the highway.

Roman pushed the Paladin forward, hitting a few buttons to prime the mech's main weapons. His eyes briefly darted to his left, where a second console had been haphazardly installed, exposed wires dangling out the bottom. He was tempted to hit a few of those buttons as well, but held off. There'd be time to put Neo's hard work to good use soon enough.

 _Okay, Kitty Cat. Run back home. Lead me to Little Red._

* * *

 **Junior's Nightclub**

Yang's glass shattered in her fist.

Neptune jumped at the sudden sound, nearly spilling his cola. "Geez! What was that for?" He asked in surprise, desperately ignoring the threatening glare Junior was now shooting them. When he saw the look on her face, his expression turned worried. "Yang?"

Yang just stared down at the shattered glass in front of her, her breath becoming choppy. "Something… something's wrong."

She just couldn't catch a break. First Ruby starts freaking out over something, then Weiss just up and disappears for a few seconds, then they both start freaking out, and just when they start calming down, something happened that scared Blake stiff. Freaking out didn't even come close to what Blake was feeling at that moment.

And what was Yang doing?

Sitting at a bar.

Screw. That.

Yang jumped out of her seat,startling Neptune so much that he did drop his drink this time. Yang didn't notice, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him out of his seat.

"C'mon!" She yelled before he could protest, dragging him towards the door. "Something's wrong with Blake. We need to get over there, _now_!"

Neptune blinked, his eyes growing wide. "What-"

Whatever he was going to ask was cut off when the whole building shook. A loud bang sounded from outside the nightclub, causing the patrons inside to flinch in surprise. Yang and Neptune froze. They shared a look, before rushing to the door. They ran down the hall, passed the bewildered bouncer at the entrance, bursting out into the street. The few people outside were facing towards where the sound had come from.

"What was that?" Neptune asked, not really expecting an answer.

Yang's scroll suddenly came to life, buzzing with a new call. Yang didn't waste any time, practically ripping it open. Before she could even start to answer, Blake's voice sounded from the scroll.

" _Everyone! If you can here me, we need-!"_

" _HEEEELLLLP!"_

Sun's sudden scream made them both flinch. Yang ran to her motorcycle, it roaring to life the moment she sat down. "Get on!" She yelled to Neptune.

He did so, his fear of the thing being overridden by his fear for his friends. "Do we even know where they-"

"...aaaaaaAAAAHHH!"

Yang and Neptune snapped their heads around at the nearing scream. Just down the street, Blake and Sun ran through an intersection, followed seconds later by what could only be described as a giant robot.

"... never mind." Neptune squeaked out, face paling at the size of the mech.

Yang's eyes narrowed. "Hang on!" She yelled out, hitting the throttle.

Neptune barely had time to wrap his arms around Yang's middle, nearly being thrown off as the bike squealed into a one-eighty. Within seconds, they'd screamed around the corner, Yang pushing the motorcycle hard to catch up with the mech.

"Blake, we're right behind you!" Yang yelled into her scroll. "Just try to stay ahead of it!"

* * *

 _Would if I could!_ Blake thought desperately, not bothering to say it out loud. Her feet pounded against the pavement as she ran, the sound of the mech's wheels getting closer.

Sun had commandeered her scroll, yelling panicked gibberish into it as they ran. The fact that Yang was so close gave her some comfort, but it paled to the fear she had of the mechanical monster bearing down on them. They needed to come up with something, fast, before Torchwick caught up to them.

Blake could already feel her body wearing out, being fueled by fear and adrenaline. Her lungs burned, her heart hammered painfully in her chest.

Her legs were starting to tingle.

They ran around a corner, putting them right next to the freeway. Cars honked at them, only to swerve out of the way once people noticed the Paladin hot on their heels. Blake desperately tried to think of a plan, but she couldn't.

Then, as they neared an on-ramp, Sun yelled out beside her. "Hey! I have an idea!" She glanced back, seeing him pointing towards the on-ramp.

Blake understood what he was getting at. Normally, she'd call him crazy, but when she heard the Paladin's wheels just a few feet behind her, she didn't hesitate. With Sun at her side, she took a large leap to the left, her feet landing on the roof of a car.

* * *

 **Freeway**

As their cab drove down the elevated freeway, Ruby and Penny huddled over Weiss scroll, the heiress sandwiched between them. They all had looks of disbelief as Sun's voice screamed out from the scroll.

" _Robot! Big robot! Very big! Help!"_

Weiss stared at her scroll in complete bafflement. Blake and Sun were spying on a White Fang rally. How did a giant robot figure into that?

Penny apparently had the same thought, her green eyes wide. Ruby and Weiss had filled her in on their teams information gathering, and she'd agreed to help them if she could. She had been hesitant at the thought of keeping it a secret from the General, but had agreed nonetheless, at least for the time being. "The White Fang haven't been reported to have weapons of that scale."

Ruby was conflicted. Part of her was excited at the thought of seeing a weapon of that size in action, but it was being drowned out by her feeling Blake's fear and Yang's panic. "Sun, where are you?"

"We're-"

"Holy-!" The cab suddenly swerved out of it's lane, the driver cursing as he pulled hard on the wheel. The three girls in the backseat were thrown to the left side of the cab as it spun, Weiss landing on top of Penny as Ruby landed on top of her. The cab jerked onto the shoulder, slamming against the bridge barricade, before squealing to a stop.

Pushing a dazed Ruby off of her, Weiss sat up, glaring daggers at the cabbie. "What on Remnant-" Her indignant words cut off when she saw the man gaping out his windshield, gripping the steering wheel in a knuckle-whitening grip. She followed his gaze…

Her blue eyes widened in shock. "Oh, Dust…"

Theirs was not the only car that had pulled over. Nearly every other motorist had pulled over to the shoulder, and the few that hadn't were quickly accelerating away in the far right lane, as far away from the opposite road as they could get. Further up the road, a pickup truck lay upside down, smoke pouring from it's engine block as it's panicked driver scrambled away from it. Weiss briefly wondered how it got there, when a minivan suddenly sailed over the median, crashing near their cab. Weiss followed it's path, and immediately stiffened.

On the opposite road, Blake and Sun were leaping from car roof to car roof, trying to put as much distance between them and the monster of a mech bearing down on them. Within seconds, it had closed the distance between it and Blake's current platform. The giant machine drew back it's left arm, and swatted at the car. For a heart stopping moment, Weiss thought Blake was done for. Beside her, Ruby let out a panicked, "Blake!"

To their relief, Blake jumped at the last possible second, landing on the same car Sun was on as the mech sent the car flying across the road, the young woman behind the wheel screaming in terror.

As the mech charged past them, Weiss heard the buzzing sound of a high-performance engine. A flash of yellow and blue zipped by, Yang's motorcycle roaring as she and Neptune tried to keep up with the speeding mech.

Weiss spared their terrified cabbie a glance, before scrambling out of the cab, Ruby and Penny right behind her. Weiss watched in dismay as the mech sped off into the distance, smashing aside cars as it flailed at Blake and Sun. "We need to catch up to them," she said, a hint of desperation in her voice as she watched another car go airborne.

Ruby watched the car soar across the median, torn between her amazement at the hulking machine and the fear of her sister and her girlfriend being attacked by it. When she registered Weiss' words, however, she grinned widely. "I have an idea!"

Weiss had all of a second to wonder what Ruby's idea was before she was suddenly swept off her feet, Ruby having slipped an arm under her knees and the other behind her back. Weiss pinked a little at finding herself held in Ruby's surprisingly strong grip, her indignant retort cut off when Ruby turned their new companion. "Penny, do you think you can catch up with them somehow?" Weiss could feel her worry and guilt, likely at the thought of having to abandon Penny on the freeway after just reunited with her.

To both their surprise, Penny just smiled, her eyes flashing with determination. "Indeed I do!"

There was a sharp sound of metal scraping quickly on metal, and a number of silver and green swords slid out of Penny's back and hovered in the air behind her, each one unfolding from a rectangle of metal into a four-foot blade. Ruby gaped at the sight, while Weiss blinked rapidly. Before either could respond, two of the swords met in mid air, crossing blades across Penny's back. There was a strange clicking sound as the blades seemed to split apart in places, then merged together into a single piece. There was an echoing clang as the merged swords slammed into Penny's back, the hilt of each blade turning and folding, until one side was pointed and the other was flat. The overall effect made it look like Penny had grown mechanical wings.

Just when Weiss was able to string together a coherent thought, she heard a high-pitch noise, the tips of Penny's 'wings' glowing green. A jet of green fire shot out the underside of each wingtip, and Penny was lifted into the air, hovering a few feet off the ground as her remaining swords circled her like a bladed halo.

As the partners stared up at her in shock, Penny sent them a determined smile. "Let's go assist our friends!" Shifting her weight, Penny angled herself forward, green fire roaring as she blasted off in the direction of the mech.

Weiss and Ruby stared after her, eyes wide and mouths agape.

"...Ruby?" Weiss asked faintly.

"...yeah, Weiss?" Ruby answered, silver eyes trained on the green dot that was the flying Penny.

"Did Penny just… grow a _jetpack_?"

Ruby gave a tiny nod. "Yes. Yes she did." Her shocked expression slowly morphed into an almost manic grin. "That… is… AWESOME! How did she do that? How did she merge her swords like that? How does she make them hover? How does she fit all those swords inside herself? How-?"

"Ruby…" Weiss scolded in an annoyed tone. While she did find Ruby's enthusiastic gushing rather cute, and it did help pull her out of her shocked stupor at… whatever the _hell_ she just witnessed, they had more important things to deal with. Once Ruby's eyes met her own, she bobbed her head towards the distant sounds of destruction and mayhem. "The giant robot?"

Ruby blinked at her, then jolted at the reminder. "Right! Sorry." Ruby bent her knees, and Weiss had to throw her arms around Ruby's neck so as not to fall out of her grip. Ruby gave her a brief smile when she did, before focusing on the road in front of them. "Hold on tight," She told Weiss, increasing her own grip on the heiress. When she felt Weiss arms tighten, she moved.

The world turned to red around them, and Weiss was vaguely aware that the tingling sensation playing over her skin as Ruby's semblance took hold felt… familiar.

Within seconds, a red blur jumped the median, and blasted down the freeway towards the ever increasing carnage.

* * *

"So, do we actually have a plan here?"

Yang ignored Neptune's yell for the moment, too busy pushing her motorcycle to its limit. How was that mech so _fast_? The thing was massive, but it was somehow staying at high speed, swatting at every car in it's path.

Yang scoured the mech with her eyes, trying to find something, anything about it she could use to her advantage. It wasn't easy every few seconds she had to swerve hard to the side out of the way of whatever vehicle the mech had smashed aside and not sent over the median.

 _C'mon_ , she thought to herself as they barely missed a spinning truck. _Give me something, anything! A crack, a dent, loose wires, just.. wait. Maybe… there!_

Yang's eyes zeroed in on a line of small loops along the mech's back, almost invisible against its black paint. Some kind of handholds, for maintenance, maybe? She didn't really care, so long as they were there. If one of them could actually get onto the thing…

"Neptune!" She yelled out.

"What?"

"When I get closer to it, try to climb on."

There was a pause, followed by a panicked, "That's the plan!?"

Yang shot a glare over her shoulder, making him flinch slightly. "It's either that, or I ram it!" She'd do it, too. She doubted it would do much, that armor looked thick, but if she could get one good punch to one of it's legs, maybe she could slow it down.

Neptune swallowed, the glare making him wonder which was safer: climbing a thirty foot death machine, or keep clinging to a stressed and quickly angering Yang.

"Go for it!" He yelled.

 _Sun, you owe me big for this!_

Yang just nodded. She faced forward, hitting the throttle hard. The bike lurched in a sudden burst of speed, quickly gaining ground on the mech.

* * *

Inside the Paladin, Roman was having a blast, his lips pulled back in a feral grin.

It was better than he'd hoped. Thanks to all the extra bells and whistles he'd had slapped onto it, the mech was bigger, stronger, and a hell of a lot faster than he'd thought. He'd reached freeway speeds in seconds, and the mech's upper body moved so much more fluidly than it had in his brief test run earlier. With the controls in hand, all he had to do was flick his wrist and, _boom!,_ another car went flying.

He did vaguely wonder if he was actually killing anyone with all the vehicular mayhem he was causing. None of the cars had exploded (at least, he hadn't _seen_ any of them explode), but still, getting hit with a five ton robo arm… eh, he'd find out on when he watched the news later.

He _was_ getting a bit frustrated with just how _nimble_ Kitty Cat and Monkey boy were. Dodging his strikes, managing to land on a new car every, _freaking_ , _time._ It was impressive. Completely annoying, but impressive. At this rate, he'd have to start putting the Paladin's firearms to the test. He had been wondering just how effective those missiles were…

A red, blinking light on the display panel drew his attention. Along the side of the screen, a small box had popped up, bright red text spelling out _**Proximity Alert**_. Another screen popped up below it, showing video from a camera on the back of the mech.

The Paladin's wild flailing ceased for a moment as he stared at the blonde girl driving a motorcycle right up behind the mech, a blue-haired boy reaching out to grab onto it. His eyes narrowed in recognition, remembering the information Neo had stolen for him.

 _Yang Xiao-Long_. He frowned briefly at the name, but ignored it. _Time for that later… maybe. Though, that face… there's definitely a resemblance._ He shook his head to clear it. He smiled smugly. _Okay, Sunshine. Let's see how tough you really are._

He jerked hard on the controls.

* * *

"Just a little closer!" Neptune yelled to Yang, his fingers just grazing the handholds.

Yang let out a groan of frustration, hitting the throttle again.

Neptune stretched his arm out as far as he could. With a grunt of effort, he pushed forward.

"Got it!" He yelled in triumph, wrapping his hand around the ladder rung. He managed to grab with his other hand, and started to pull himself off the bike-

" _I don't think so!"_

Yang didn't even have time to question where the loud voice came from before she had to veer sharply to the right as the entire mech did a full one-eighty. Neptune screamed as he was ripped off the bike, hanging off the back of the mech by his fingertips.

Yang had no chance. Her every instinct told her to move, but there was nowhere to go, trapped on her bike between the freeway guardrail and the massive robot. She threw her arm up uselessly, blocking as much as she could as the mech's massive arm came towards her.

 _ **THA-WRASH!**_

"AUGH!"

Pain filled her body as she was smacked right off her bike, the motorcycle itself tumbling through the air beside her. She forced her eyes open, cold realization hitting her when she saw, not the freeway pavement, but the distant city streets below her. The mech had sent her flying right off the road, out into the open air.

She could feel Panic, Fear, Denial, Hopelessness, all tinged with frost and shadow and an electric tingle. She thought she heard Blake call her name, her voice louder and more panicky than she'd ever heard, but she wasn't sure. She could feel them, her Mates, her sister, each desperate to help her, each terrified that they couldn't.

 _Stop panicking!_ She thought, both at them and to herself as she felt gravity take hold. _I'm tough! I can survive a fall like this!_

She eyed the streets several stories below.

 _...right?_

Suddenly, Yang felt something slam into her from behind. Her fall came to an abrupt stop, her sides protesting as something wrapped around her underarms painfully tight. She clenched her eyes in pain, as a high pitch whine filled the air around her.

"Are you uninjured, Yang?"

Yang's eyes snapped open at the voice behind her. She twisted her head around to meet green eyes.

"Penny!?"

Sure enough, the odd, orange-haired girl was holding Yang up by her armpits, obviously having caught her in midair. She gave Yang a concerned look as she hovered above the city streets.

Wait…

"Y-You…! You can fly!?" Yang stuttered out in shock. "How are you- do you have wings!?"

"Um…" Penny ducked her head awkwardly, looking uncertain. "It's… a long story. Are you okay?"

The subject change was obvious, but Yang ignored it for the moment, looking down at herself as she wiggled slightly in Penny's grip. "Uh… I think so! Nothing feels broken."

Penny frowned. "Are you certain? Your eyes seem very red compared to our last encounter."

Yang blinked at that. Her eyes were red? But…

...ohh, now she felt it. The tingling feeling behind her eyes, the way her whole body seemed to burn with newfound energy. Her Semblance must have activated on instinct, all the power behind the mech's blow having been absorbed into herself. She was practically shaking as the stolen energy bounced around inside her, seeking an outlet.

Yang looked back at the freeway. The mech had already spun itself back around and was tearing off down the road after Blake and Sun, who had managed to gain some ground thanks to her impromptu distraction. Neptune, somehow, was still clinging to the back of the mech, trying to climb up it's back. A red blur shot down the road behind it, quickly catching up to the metal monstrosity. Already, they were all moving down the freeway, away from where Yang and Penny hovered.

Through the Link, Yang felt overwhelming relief from Ruby and Weiss. _They must have seen Penny catch me,_ she thought to herself.

As she watched the bizarre entourage race off into the distance, Yang thought hard. She had questions, _so_ many questions, mostly about about the girl holding her while they freaking _hovered_ five stories up, but she pushed them all aside. She hadn't felt any relief from Blake, meaning that the Cat-Faunus probably hadn't seen her get saved, plus she still had a few tons of angry robot chasing her. They needed to end this, _now_.

And the fire burning in her muscles gave her a great idea on how to do it.

"Penny?" Yang asked, a smirk growing on her face.

"Yes, Yang?" Penny responded, still waiting on for an answer to her earlier question.

"How fast can you fly?"

* * *

 _Well, that didn't take long,_ Roman thought to himself as he watched the blonde girl go flying off the freeway. _Bummer. Well, I doubt it'll kill her, especially if I'm right about… yeah, she'll be a pain in my neck later._ He shrugged to himself, focusing at the task at hand, namely, _smashing those hopscotching little ingrates!_

Roman let out a growl of frustration as he saw how much distance the two Faunus had made while he'd taken a swing the blonde. He jammed the controls forward, the mech lurching back up to top speed. To his utter irritation, he was making very little ground. Apparently, whoever was behind the wheel of Kitty Cat and Monkey Boy's current ride decided that having a multi-ton Paladin on their back bumper was reason enough to throw traffic laws out the window.

Roman fumed for a moment, before smirking. Reaching over to the console on his right, he flipped a set of switches. The mech gave a small shudder, the sound of metal against metal filling the air as digital reticle appeared on screen. He tapped his pointer finger over the screen in front of him, and the reticle box moved over Kitty Cat's car. Two red lines formed an 'X' right over her back.

 _Time to see what these things can do._ Roman placed his thumb over a small red button on his controls, as bold red text formed under the reticle.

 _ **MISSILE LOCKED.**_

His smirk turned into a manic smile as he pressed-

" _Neptune, jump!_

Roman jolted, the loud voice blasting out of the internal speaker at the same time another proximity alert popped up on screen. His eyes snapped to it, this one showing the view from the left-side camera.

" _Heads up, buckethead!"_

 _...What._

For the briefest moment, Roman thought he'd lost his mind. There was Sunshine, her lips spread into a wide grin as she was held in the arms of the arms of, of all people, _Laser Lass_ , flying towards him at high speed.

However, it wasn't the impossibility of them both flying at him that made his eyes widen. No, it was the blonde's eyes that did that.

Her bright, angry, _painfully_ familiar _red_ eyes.

The next second, Laser Lass let go of her passenger, and the blonde was sent hurtling straight at the mech, fists out, hair glowing, red eyes burning. It was then that Roman fully remembered what he'd read about her in those Beacon records.

 _This is gonna hurt._

If he hadn't seen the girl's divebomb himself, Roman would have thought he'd been hit by a tank. The entire mech jolted to the side, the left-side wheels coming off the ground. A half-dozen warnings popped up on screen, not that Roman could read them as he was thrown against the wall of the cockpit.

The mech shook, metal groaned. He heard the sound of concrete breaking, and there was a sickening moment of weightlessness, followed seconds later by a stop so violent and sudden that the cockpit went dark.

Roman blinked the stars out of his vision, holding a hand to his aching head. One by one, the lights in the cockpit came back to life. Roman groaned as the screen flickered back on, seeing the brats leap down from the broken freeway guardrail, jumping onto inexplicably appearing snowflakes. He took hold of the mech's controls, making it climb back to it's wheeled feet as he looked around. The Paladin had fallen into a construction yard underneath the freeway, where one road passed over the other, support pillars surrounding the area.

Big open space. Nowhere to hide. Nowhere to really run.

Roman watched as the kids reached the ground. The last to do so was the Schnee brat… and Little Red herself.

 _Perfect._

Roman pulled hard on the controls, spinning the Paladin to face the seven would-be heroes. Grinning ferociously, he reached over to the left, his hand slamming down on the custom console.

There was a groan of metal. On the screen, seven reticles popped into existence, each on targeting a different brat. Seven red text messages popped up.

 **MISSILE LOCKED.**

 _Okay, kiddos. Let's see what you got._

Roman hit the red button.

* * *

 **A/n: Yeah, its two parter. Sorry, but if I'm going to do this fight, I want to do it right and take my time. Hope this'll tide you over for now.**

 **Writing Roman is surprisingly fun. Giving an outside-looking-in perspective from an antagonist is kind of freeing, making me be creative in a way I've done before. I hope I'm doing him justice.**

 **For those wondering about Penny's jetpack, it's from the RWBY manga. She had one there and I just thought "Why wouldn't I use that?"**

 **One-thousand followers! Holy hell, I never thought this story would be this popular. Thank you! Thank you all! All of you, keep being awesome!**

 **See you all soon!**


	32. Chapter 32: Bot Fight! Part Two

**Chapter 32: Bot Fight! - Part 2**

 **Elevated Freeway, Moments Ago**

Blake's mouth fell open as she watched Yang slam into the side of the Paladin, her glowing hair trailing behind her like a comet's tail. The moment her fist touched the side of the mech, the entire thing tilted, it's left legs being forced into the air. The Paladin wobbled, veering across the road and into the guardrail. It's right legs tore through the concrete, destroying thirty feet of guardrail, before slipping off the edge of the freeway. The mech's weight shifted instantly, forty tons of metal tumbling off the road. A colossal impact sounded from the ground below.

A green flash drew Blake's attention from the falling Paladin. Neptune, who had lept off the mech's back a mere second before Yang's impact, was snatched out of the air by, if she wasn't mistaken, their missing friend Penny, who was flying with the aid of what appeared to be metal wings. Blake only focused on this for a second, before she caught sight of a flash of yellow below them.

Her heart stopped.

Yang, her hair no longer glowing, was lying face down on the ground, unmoving.

"Yang!" Blake yelled, leaping off the speeding car she'd been standing on. From the corner of her eye, she saw Sun do the same, the two rolling as they landed. Blake sprang to her feet, running down the empty road to Yang's side, Sun hanging back when she came to a stop. She fell to her knees, placing her hand on Yang's shoulder. "Yang?"

To her relief, Yang groaned. The blonde pushed off the ground with her left arm, rolling over onto her back. "Ow…" She droned. Her eyes blinked open, blearily focusing on Blake's amber gaze. "Did I get him?"

Blake let out a breathless laugh, a disbelieving smile on her lips. "Yeah. Yeah, you got him."

Yang gave a tired smile. She gave her arm a weak pump. "Whoo. Go me." She grunted as she pulled herself up to sit, rubbing the back of her head. "Geez, that thing was harder than I thought."

"Yang!" They both looked over, seeing a red blur racing towards them. It came to a sudden stop before them, kicking up a blast of air that made their hair flutter. The blur dissolved into a shower of rose petals, revealing Ruby, holding Weiss carefully in her arms as the heiress clung to her neck.

As the rose petals fell around them, Ruby set Weiss down, the two rushing to Yang's side.

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked, worry plain in her voice as she knelt beside the blonde.

Yang just shot her a cocky grin. "What, you worried about me?"

Weiss wasn't amused, giving Yang a hard smack on the arm as she frowned. "Yes! Yang, that mech knocked you clear off the highway. I don't even know how you're still in one piece."

Yang flinched a little, feeling a sudden burst of anger from Weiss, buried under fear and worry. "Hey, relax, Snowflake." She said, her voice surprisingly gentle. "You know me. It'll take more than a little smack to take me down."

"That 'little smack' totaled about a dozen cars before it hit you," Blake said with a frown. "You really scared us, Yang."

Yang wilted under the double glare. She looked over at Ruby, who met her gaze with a small frown and a nod. Yang let out a sigh. "I'm sorry I worried you. But, y'know, there wasn't much I could do about it. I was kinda between a rock and a hard place." She smiled slightly when she saw Weiss roll her eyes, the corner of Blake's lips twitching. A high-pitch whine sounded above them, making her look up as her smile grew. "Besides, apparently I have a pretty kickass guardian angel."

The others followed her gaze, watching as Penny descended next to their group. She hovered for a moment, letting a slightly freaked-out Neptune touch the ground first, before landing herself, her swords floating around her. The jets of green fire spouting from her wing-tips cut off abruptly. She eyed the group nervously, her hands folded in front of her.

"Salutations, everyone." She greeted, a hesitant smile on her lips as she gave a quick wave to the group.

Blake smiled at her. She had more than a few questions as to how Penny had come to be here, and how she'd gained mechanical wings, but she pushed them aside. Penny had saved her Mate from, at the very least, an extremely painful fall. Questions could wait for later.

"Hello, Penny," She said calmly. "Didn't expect to see you here, not that I'm complaining."

Penny's grin widened slightly as Ruby explained. "We bumped into her at the CCT. Long story short, we told her about the plan and she wanted to help."

Yang chuckled as she rose to her feet, Blake and Weiss rising with her. "Well, I'm not complaining. Thanks for the save." She hit Penny with one of her usual shoulder punches… and pulled her arm back quickly when she felt a stinging pain in her knuckles. "Youch! Geez, Pen, that hurt! What, are you made of pure metal?"

Penny ducked her head down a bit, looking abashed. "Mostly." She admitted quietly.

Yang blinked, her head tilting slightly. "Wait, what?"

Before Penny could answer, Weiss held up a hand, looking exasperated. " _Very_ long story. We'll explain later. First," She pushed a finger against Yang's chest, a disapproving look on her face, despite the surprise and awe that her Mates felt from her. "How did you do that? You knocked aside a multi-ton mech with one punch. I know you're strong, Yang, but I've never seen you use that much strength.

Yang frowned at her, before her eyes lit up in realization. "Right, I never really told you guys about my Semblance, did I?" That startled Weiss a bit, her head jerking back a bit. Blake looked to Yang expectantly, curious.

Yang rubbed the back of her head, feeling a little sheepish. "Sorry. I haven't had to use it in a while, and it hasn't come up in class yet. Short version is, anytime I take a physical blow, I can take the force of that hit and use it myself."

Weiss' brow furrowed thoughtfully. "So, when the mech hit you…"

Yang smiled, some pride trickling into her words. "Yep. Hit it with its own power. That's how my Semblance works: The harder I get hit, the harder I can hit back."

Weiss nodded slowly. She shot Blake a quick look, which the Faunus returned. _We'll have to ask more later._ Weiss thought to herself. _First though…_

Sun physically flinched when Weiss gave him a piercing look, nearly bumping into Neptune. Weiss then turned to Blake, her gaze softening in concern. "How did your night end with you two being chased by a giant robot?"

Blake went to answer, but Sun abruptly cut in, putting himself between Blake and Weiss. "Funny story, but first…" He turned to Penny, flashing a friendly smile as he stuck out his hand. "I don't think we've formally met. Sun Wukong, at your service. The lost-looking blue-haired guy is my partner Neptune."

"Hey!"

Penny blinked at the surprise introduction, before smiling widely. She grabbed his hand in her own, shaking it firmly. "Greetings! I'm Penny Polendina, a friend of Team RWBY's. Nice to meet you."

Sun winced a bit at her shockingly tight grip, but nodded all the same. "Likewise." He let go of Penny's hand, turning back to Weiss, who looked slightly miffed. "To answer your question, Torchwick was at the rally."

Everyone other than Blake jolted in surprise. "What?!" Ruby shouted, echoed by Yang and Weiss.

Blake nodded, looking disturbed. "He was the one running the rally. He gave this big speech, got everyone on his side, and then showed off that mech."

"Turns out," Sun chimed in. "He stole a whole bunch of mechs just like that one from the Atlassian military."

Penny's eyes widened in shock, and Weiss looked up at the sky in disbelief. "Dear Dust," she muttered, not even wanting to think of the implications of the White Fang having more of those monstrosities. She looked back to Blake, shaking her head in disbelief. "How did you end out getting chased by it?"

Sun answered. "Torchwick recognized us in the crowd. Blake killed the lights in the place and we booked. Next thing we know, that thing's busting down a wall to chase after us. Guess Torchwick wanted to catch us himself."

"Whoa, wait a sec." Yang jumped in, shooting a look at the wrecked guardrail before turning back to Sun. "'Himself?' Is… are you saying Torchwick is inside that thing?"

Sun nodded. "He said it was his personal mech. And I'm pretty sure that was his voice that spoke when you got hit."

Yang's brow raised in surprise. Then she smiled widely. "That's perfect!"

Everyone looked at her with various degrees of confusion. "What is?" Ruby asked.

Yang turned to her, an excited gleam in her eyes. "The whole point of this was to find out what Torchwick had to do with the White Fang. Well, let's go down there, pull him out of that thing, and find out what's what right from the source!"

Ruby's eyes widened, as did Blake's. "Do you think he'd even tell us anything?"

Yang smile shifted to a smirk. "I don't really plan on giving him a choice." She punch a fist into her palm for emphasis, Ember Celica clicked as a round entered its chamber.

Weiss opened her mouth to speak, when they all heard a metallic groan from under the freeway. The group jumped at the sudden sound, Weiss and Blake gripping the hilts of their blades, Neptune reaching behind him for his trident. The seven Hunters-in-training rushed to the the roads edge, staring down at the construction yard below.

"Oh, come on!" Yang groaned, looking equal parts annoyed and baffled. "What does it take to keep that thing down?"

Far beneath them, the Paladin was slowly pushing itself to its feet, leaning hard on its arms. Some of the added armor plating was scratched and dented, but still intact. The only real damage done to the mech was a fist-sized dent just behind the cockpit, just before its shoulder.

Penny frowned as she looked over the mech, her green eyes glowing a little as she analyzed it. "This Paladin has been heavily modified." She said simply. All eyes turned to her, but she didn't notice, all her attention on the mech. "Increased armor and speed, enhanced servo control, and multiple added firearms." She turned towards the group, focusing on Blake. "If the rest of the White Fang's Paladins have had similar alterations…"

She didn't have to finish. Each of them could picture what damage the White Fang could do with a fighting force like that, some more vividly than others. Blake swallowed down her nerves, trying to force away the image of dozens of Paladins, all sporting the symbol of the White Fang.

Ruby sent Blake a worried look, feeling her fear. Then she looked down at the mech, eyes narrowing. "Let's go ask him." She glanced at Weiss. "Think you can make us some platforms?"

Weiss nodded back to her, waving her arm as her fingers twitched. A pair of large glyphs appeared a few yards below them, spinning side by side. Another twitch of her fingers, and two more formed below the originals.

Yang smirked, her eyes locked on the raising Paladin. "Let's do this!" The next moment, she jumped off the freeway ledge, landing on the glyph below. Blake let out an exasperated breath at her partner's excitement, following the blonde as the corner of her lip twitched upwards.

Sun blinked as he watched them land, then leap to the next glyph. "Okay. Jumping onto giant, spinning snowflakes. I'll admit, I did not see that coming." He shot his partner a look. Neptune could only shrug his shoulders, apparently in agreement. The two boys lept after Yang and Blake, who were looking up at them expectantly.

With a burst of green flame, Penny lifted off the road, opting to descend to the ground by her own means. Ruby and Weiss were the last to go, Weiss fingers twitching to make more glyphs as they landed and lept from from the first ones. The group quickly descended, jumping from glyph to glyph as the Paladin rose to its full height.

They each took their spot in an impromptu battle line when they reached the ground. Neptune and Sun stood on the far right, while Yang and Blake took their spot on the left. Ruby and Weiss were between the four of them, while Penny hovered above and behind them.

Once Ruby and Weiss touched down, everyone dropped into their battle stances. Weiss and Blake drew their blades, Ruby unfolding Crescent Rose into her sniper rifle form. Sun and Neptune pulled out their weapons, Sun bouncing from foot to foot as he twirled Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang in their staff mode. Neptune opted to keep his weapon in gun mode, staring down it's sights at the mech. Yang pumped her left arm, ensuring both gauntlets were ready to fire. Penny hovered at the back of the group, her many swords circling gracefully around her.

As the Paladin slowly spun to face them, Neptune gulped. "So, uh, it's still moving. Anyone have a plan?"

Ruby opened her mouth to answer, before a thought hit her. Her mouth snapped shut, and she glanced over at Sun. They were both team leaders, so she wasn't quite sure which of them was suppose to take charge.

Sun noticed her nervous look, an eyebrow raising in confusion. Then his eyes widened in realization. To Ruby's surprise, he gave her a lopsided smile. "I appreciate the consideration, Ruby, but this is your party. Nep and I are just tagalongs. You say it, we'll do it." Beside him, Neptune nodded, his eyes never leaving the spinning mech.

Penny nodded as well, seemingly having a similar thought. "The same for me. Awaiting your orders, Ruby."

Ruby looked between them, stunned by their immediate acceptance of her as leader. A sudden burst of confidence and reassurance tickled at the back of her mind. She turned to her team, meeting Blake and Weiss confident smiles, Yang backing hers up with a thumbs-up.

A warm feeling rose in Ruby's chest, her lips forming a thankful grin. Her smile was wiped away when the groan of protesting metal sounded from the Paladin, the large mech having faced them fully. Pushing down her worries, Ruby called out, eyes trained on the mech. "Neptune, quick. What's your skill set and weapon type?"

"Mid-range marksmen, close range martial artist." He rattled off, sparing Ruby a glance "Pulse rifle and bladed staff."

Ruby hummed briefly. "Okay, uh… Penny. Me and you will run interference, draw his attention away from the others. I'll hit him with sniper fire, you use your lasers."

The android nodded in acceptance. "Affirmative."

"Yang, Neptune. Circle around it and hammer its legs with weapons fire. When you see an opening, get up close and keep attacking. Go for it's joints."

"Got it, Sis." "Yes, ma'am."

"Blake, Sun. When he's distracted, go high and try to get that cockpit open. Weiss, see if your glyphs can slow it down. If that doesn't work, join Blake and Sun. See if Myrtenaster can slip between it's armor."

"Okay." "Sounds good." "I'll hold it as best I can."

Ruby felt her chest tremble, her heart hammering painfully against her ribs. She hoped her ideas were right, and she hadn't just gambled her friends, Mates, and sister's lives away by making a bad call. She tried to ignore it, taking comfort in the familiar weight of Crescent Rose in her arms.

"Okay, everyone." She said as she stared up at the mech, a hard glint in her eyes. "Follow the plan, but be ready to improvise. Watch each other's backs, give support to whoever needs it."

Weiss smirked slightly, looking at Ruby out the corner of her eye. "I told you all that studying would pay off."

Ruby just flashed her an appreciative grin. "Okay, on my mark, everyone-"

There was a sudden, sickening clang of metal striking metal, drawing everyone's attention. Just below the Paladin's cockpit, its 'chest' had split down the middle, the two halves slamming open against its sides. From within the dark confines of the mech's chest, they could all see eight sharp points slowly slide out the opening in two rows of four.

"What the hell…?" Sun muttered, squinting at the Paladin.

Then, with a thunderous roar, flames lit up the inside of the mech, showing a brief, clear image of what they were looking at: Missiles. Lots and lots of missiles.

Ruby's eyes widened in fear and disbelief.

"Scatter!"

The moment the words left her mouth, the first two missiles went flying. Before they got very far, a large white glyph appeared before them. The missiles exploded against the glyph, which shattered against the force, Weiss letting out a grunt of pain as it did. Already, more missiles lit up, ready to fire.

The group did as Ruby said, while at the same time following her plan. Yang and Neptune broke from the line, flanking from their respective sides as they started firing, shotgun fire and electric pulses detonating against the Paladin's legs. Blake and Sun rushed forward, Sun even making a show of leaping over the new missile that launched from the mech. The two jumped in sync onto the mech's 'knees', and then to it's 'shoulders, Blake slashing at its joints while Sun rammed his staff into the side of the cockpit.

As more missiles screamed towards them, Ruby lifted Weiss like she had before, blasting out of the way in a cloud of semblance. Penny rocketed upwards, the missiles sailing harmlessly below her.

Ruby came to a sudden stop just to the left of the mech, setting Weiss down. The heiress wasted no time, throwing up her hands to form glyphs around the Paladin's wrists. Before she could, her eyes were drawn back to where they'd just run from. A yell tore from her throat.

"Penny, move!"

The android instantly spun in the air, her green eyes widening as she watched the two missiles that she'd avoided shoot straight up in the air, arching back towards the fight. One of them went low, aiming for Yang as she fired at the mech's back legs, while the other turned and headed right towards Penny. The android leaned hard, her jets firing as she shot upwards, the missile screaming after her.

Yang pulled back her left arm, ready to send another shotgun blast into the Paladin's leg. She was about to throw her arm forward, to fire off the shot-

 **A flash of red.**

 **Turn right. Shoot up.**

-Yang spun on her heel, punching upwards without even aiming. She caught just the briefest glimpse of a missile headed towards her, before Ember Celica fired and it exploded harmlessly above her.

Yang blinked, staring down at her closed fist in confusion. _How did I… why did I see…?_ Her eyes widened in realization, head snapping towards edge of the battlefield just in time to see Ruby shift Crescent Rose into scythe mode, and take a running leap at the mech's middle.

* * *

Roman frantically worked the Paladin's controls, flailing it's arms in an attempt to throw off/squish and Kitty Cat and Monkey Boy as they kept trying to pry open the cockpit door. He'd just started fighting seriously, he wasn't about to let those brats end his fun before it began. He swiped the mech's arm against the front of the mech, forcing the monkey Faunus to leap away before he could get his staff under the cockpit door.

The Paladin shuddered as two more missiles launched, and Roman grit his teeth. _They were suppose to fire off all at once, not this two at a time crap! If this fight ends before I get my proof, Taurus' little 'robotics experts' are going to get an earful._

As the missiles flew away to find their targets, yet another proximity sensor went off, this time from the left. Roman didn't even look, he just yanked on the controls to have the Paladin smack aside whoever was rushing him.

However, before the mech's arm could swing all the way around, the controls locked up. Roman growled as he pulled uselessly on the controls. On the screen, he could see the problem: a giant spinning snowflake had materialized around the Paladin's forearm, holding it in place. The mech struggled against the hovering glyph, but it wouldn't budge.

There was an ungodly screeching sound, and the mech shuddered slightly. The display screen helpfully informed him of a shallow slash that had appeared across the Paladin's back. Roman focused on a small window at the bottom of the screen, showing Little Red gearing up for another run. In the window next to it, the Schnee girl had both arms extended, her fingers crossing each other in odd formations.

Roman clicked his tongue in annoyance. _Okay, Ice Queen. Let's see if those fancy flakes have a strength limit._ Without a second thought, he slammed his hand down on a large green button near the middle of the left side console. The button turned red, and the whole mech trembled. A new warning popped up on screen.

 **Servo Safety Limiters Disabled**.

* * *

Weiss clenched her jaw as she tried to control a single glyph with both hands. Usually, she could create and control a glyph of this size with just a twitch of her fingers. But with the sheer strength of the mech, it took all she had to hold it in place.

The others tried to take advantage of the mech's sudden stop, Blake and Sun leaping onto the cockpit itself the try and break it open. Blake slammed the tip of Gambol Shroud's blade into the cockpit glass, but the sword just bounced off, not even scratching the thick windows. Sun broke his staff apart, standing right above where he figured Torchwick was sitting inside the mech. With his weapon in nunchuck/gun mode, Sun started firing downwards, unloading his weapons into the top of the cockpit, to no avail.

The two most-recent missiles sailed away from the fight, only to circle back in tandem, this time focused on Blake and Sun. At the last moment, Sun pressed himself flat against the mech as Blake lept into a backflip, each missile missing it's target by mere inches. Before they could circle back again, and electric pulse and a shotgun blast turned each missile into scrap metal.

Suddenly, a high-pitched hiss came from the Paladin. Steam started drifting from the openings in its armor, mostly around its joints. The mech pulled once again on the glyph, but this time, Weiss couldn't hold the glyph. With a hard yank, the Paladin broke free from the glyph, the giant snowflake shattering like a pane of glass. The sudden movement forced Sun and Blake to leap off the mech, lest they get smashed between it flailing limbs.

Weiss flinched in pain as she felt her glyph break. She shrugged it off, drawing Myrtenaster and clicking its chamber over to fire Dust. Since her glyphs had failed to stop the mech like she'd hoped, Weiss readied herself to join Blake and Sun in their frontal assault.

She bent her knees, ready to take a running start at the massive machine, when she saw its arm start to glow. Attached to the mech's left arm was what looked to be a large cannon, but from within the guns barrel came a deep red glow, building in intensity. Then, with speed a machine that size shouldn't have been capable of, the mech whirled around and pointed the glowing cannon right at Weiss.

" _Block this, kid!"_

Weiss was just barely aware that Torchwick had spoken from within the Paladin, her eyes frozen to the red energy filling the gun barrel. Fear overtook her, her mind going blank. The cannon gave a deep hum, and the red glow peaked.

A green blur suddenly shot passed the Paladin's arm. Torchwick let out a confused sound, before something exploded against the mech's arm. The force of the blast shifted the mech's aim, and a red beam of energy lanced just over Weiss' head, slicing through a support pillar behind her.

Weiss watched the green blur as it slowed to a stop, proving it to be Penny. With the missile no longer chasing her, the android spun in midair, facing the mech. Below her, Ruby came to a stop, Cresent Rose switching back to sniper mode.

 **Flash of Red.**

 **Move forward. Glyph.**

At the same moment a brief flash of red tinted her vision, Weiss heard Ruby call to her. "Weiss! Combo move!"

"Right!" Weiss rushed to Ruby's side, her hand up to form her glyphs.

"Now, Penny!" Ruby yelled as she fell to one knee.

Penny nodded sharply, a hard look in her eye as her swords started spinning faster and faster around her. She brought her hands together, and her eyes blazed green as the tip of each blade glowed with energy.

"Ice Flower!"

With a twitch of her fingers, Weiss formed three glyphs in front of Crescent Rose's barrel, two for velocity and one for ice. At the same moment Ruby pulled the trigger, beams of green energy fired from each Penny's swords, converging to form a single massive laser beam.

Torchwick saw the attacks coming, throwing the Paladin's arms up to block the incoming fire. Bullets and lasers battered against the mech's surface, ice forming all over it's front legs, while it's arms were being chipped away by laser fire.

See their opening, Yang yelled to Neptune, "Here's our chance!" Yang broke into a run, her eyes glued to the shallow cut Ruby had left on the small of it's back, Neptune right behind her, his weapon shifting to staff mode. Yang smirked, pulling her arm back to unleash an epic final punch.

* * *

Roman growled in frustration as warning after warning began peppering the screen, each one giving the same message:

 **Outer Hull Temperature Exceeding Max Tolerance.**

 _Yes, I get it!_ He thought to himself, struggling to keep keep the mech's arms up, pulling up on the controls so hard his knuckles were turning white.. _They're melting the Dust-damned mech! I'm working on it!_

He had to think of something fast, or all that extra armor he'd welded on would become a steaming puddle on the asphalt. Worse, now more warnings were showing up, saying that the Paladin's legs were freezing over.

Another proximity warning popped up, again from the rear of the Paladin. Sunshine was rushing up, along with the blue-haired brat (He'd think up a nickname for the kid later, when he _wasn't_ trying to fight seven people at once).

 _Well,_ Roman thought, smirking slightly. _At least I know how to handle_ that _one._

His hand leaving the left control stick for only a moment, Roman jabbed another button on the custom console.

* * *

Yang was only ten feet away from the mech, so close she could feel the heat from Penny's lasers, when two circular panels shuttered open on the mech's back, near its shoulders. Her eyes narrowed in confusion, only to widen when a pair of domed turrets popped out of the mechs back. Yang skidded to a stop, Neptune slamming into her back mid-step. Once he got his bearings, Neptune looked up at the mech, and they both felt a sickening chill when two thin, red laser sights trained on them.

"Nope!" Yang shouted, grabbing Neptune by the arm and yanking him away as the turrets fired, sending up puffs of dust and dirt as bullets hit the ground behind the running pair.

Yang and Neptune fell back, the two now trying to shoot the tiny turrets as they dodged bullet. Blake and Sun joined them, Blake shifting Gambol Shroud into pistol mode as she and Sun added their firepower to the mix. The two Faunus jumped and leapt as they fired, confusing the two turrets at they tried to aim at four targets at once.

As Crescent Rose fired shot after shot, Ruby felt a large grin form on her lips. With the Paladin taking fire from all sides, along with it's legs being slowly encased in ice, it wouldn't be too long before Torchwick would be completely vulnerable. They were going to do it. They were going to win!

* * *

"What is with these kids?!"

He knew it, he freaking knew it. He knew they should have put more auto turrets on the Paladin, but no, he had to listen to the 'experts.' 'Too much power draw, too much processing power.' If he lost this fight because Taurus' so-called experts convinced him that two rear turrets were enough, heads would roll.

He was getting hammered. Laser Lass was ten seconds away from burning through his armor, the four brats behind him would eventually get a lucky shot and take out those turrets, and to top it all off, he couldn't even try to move anymore, because Little Red and the Schnee brat had frozen the Paladin to the ground. If something didn't change soon, he was going to lose.

 _I can't_. He thought, gritting his teeth in denial. _I have to know if Little Red is who I think she is… I have to_ know _!_

He glanced towards the left console, wracking his brain for which one of his addons could get him out of this mess. His eyes fell on a large yellow button, the word 'NO!' drawn over it in pink marker.

 _Neo…_ Roman thought to himself. If he wasn't so panicky, he'd roll his eyes. His favorite little klepto had brought back all kinds of tech from her little trip to the Atlassian warehouse he'd sent her to, but a few of them she'd warned him not to install inside the Paladin. Too dangerous, she'd said (well, typed), even for him. He ignored her, of course. He'd paid her good money to steal all kinds of fancy weapons, and he was damn well going to use them.

Though, it would be nice if I could remember exactly what this particular button _did._

 _...Eh, I'm losing any ways._ He thought to himself as he felt the mech shudder around him. _Might as well find out._

Throwing what little caution he had left to the wind, Roman pushed the yellow button. Instantly, he heard a loud humming coming from all around him. He looked around the cockpit in confusion, watching as the lights dimmed and the display flickered, all the while the humming grew in intensity.

 _Crap,_ He thought to himself, a bead of sweat running down his brow. _That was the self-destruct, wasn't it?_

Just when he was convinced that he had finally made one blunder too many, a new message popped up on the display screen. He watched as deep blue letters filled the screen.

 **EMP Primed.**

Roman blinked.

Then he smirked.

* * *

"Just a little more!" Ruby yelled out over the gunfire as she unloaded Crescent Rose into the Paladin, Weiss constantly reforming her glyphs as the old ones exhaust themselves. She'd already gone through one clip, and was quickly burning through her second. Above them, Penny relentlessly fired her lasers at the Paladin, the arms of the massive machine turning a bright cherry red under the barrage of green energy.

"I got one!" Sun shouted from behind the mech, barely audible over the mass of gun and laserfire. Ruby wasn't sure what exactly it was he 'got', but from the loud 'Whoop!' Yang let out, it must have been a good thing.

 _Come on_ , she thought as the ice creep up the Paladin's torso. _Penny's almost through its armor, it can't go anywhere; We've won!_

"Ruby! Emergency!"

Ruby felt a chill as she glanced up at Penny. "What?! What's wrong?!"

"There is a large amount of electromagnetic energy building within the Paladin!" There was a hint of fear in the android's voice as she hovered back a few feet, her fire slowing minutely. "I think it's about to-"

 _ **BWUAAAAAMM!**_

With a deep, resonating sound, a wave of blue electricity erupted from the Paladin, blasting outwards in a sphere of energy. The electricity flew past them, followed by a shockwave that sent every teen careening backwards. Ruby struggled to keep Cresent Rose from flying out of her arms as she was blown upwards, only to land hard on her back seconds later. She heard Weiss land right beside her, groaning in pain.

"Weiss!" Ruby grunted as she pushed herself up, blinking away the stars in her eyes. "Are you-"

"Aah!"

Ruby's eyes shot open, her head snapping upwards towards the pain-filled gasp above her. She sucked in a horrified gasp.

"Penny!"

Electricity danced all over Penny's body as she tried to stay in the air, flailing as her jets flickered and died. Her swords hung limply below her, suspended by razor-thin wires, clacking against each other like wind chimes. With one last puff of smoke, the last bit of green fire died from Penny's jet pack. She let out a gasp of shock, before crashing to the ground, just a few feet from Ruby.

Ruby stared at her fallen friend, unblinking. "No." She breathed, her head shaking slightly. She scrambled to her feet, stumbling in the gravel as she fell to her knees. "Penny?"

The android looked up at her friend, her green eyes flickering between extremely bright and unsettlingly dark. Sparks flew from tiny rips in her skin, showing the grey metal beneath the surface.

"Penny?" Ruby repeated softly, tears building in the corners of her wide eyes. She could hear footstep behind her, likely Weiss making her way over. "Are… are you okay?"

Penny blinked at her, uncertainty in plain on her face. Then, surprisingly, she smiled. "My internal shielding protected my primary systems, and they have sustained minimal damage." There was a slight echo in her voice, as if her words were coming from a speaker rather than her lips, but Ruby didn't care. Appearances aside, her friend was okay. Weiss echoed her feelings with a relieved sigh.

That relief died quickly when Penny's smile changed to a sad frown. "Unfortunately, reinforcing my internal shielding has drained my energy. Backup power is unavailable." Her tone turned remorseful. "I'm sorry, friend Ruby. I must power down to conserve enerrrrrggyyyyy…" Without warning, Penny's voice droned out into silence, her green eyes fading to a dull grey.

Ruby's heart stopped dead. "Penny?" She reached out, shaking Penny by the shoulder. The synthetic girl didn't react, just staring blankly ahead, her eyes dark, cold…

Lifeless.

"No," Ruby breathed, her heart reduced to a lump of ice, filling her veins with a sickening cold. "No." Her breath quickly grew choppy, a tear slipping from her wide eyes.

 _She's gone. I… she followed my orders, and she's gone… Penny… Penny is-_

"Ruby. Ruby!"

Cool hands curled around Ruby's chin, turning her gaze away from her fallen friend. Blue eyes filled her vision.

"Ruby, listen to me." Weiss voice was strained, but she managed to keep a calm tone as she knelt beside Ruby, holding her head firmly in place. "The fight's not over yet. I need you to calm down, alright?"

Ruby just stared into her eyes, air escaping her in sharp, ragged breaths. She could feel it, Weiss' emotions wrapping around her like a blanket. _Calm, Worry, Protectiveness, Determination._ They entered her and filled her with warmth, her heartbeat slowing.

"B-But…" Ruby stammered, tear filled eyes flitting towards the unmoving android. "P-Penny…"

"Will be okay." Weiss stated firmly, her tone leaving no room for debate. When Ruby just blinked at her, Weiss explained, speaking calmly. "You heard her: she shut herself down. Once she has enough power, she'll wake up." At least, that's what she hoped. Truth be told, watching the literal light fade from Penny's eyes unsettled her, but Weiss ignored it, pressing on. "She didn't seem worried about powering down, so we shouldn't be either. But if we don't end this fight soon, she might get hurt while she's… unconscious."

Ruby sucked in deep breaths, staring into Weiss' calming blue eyes. She looked over at Penny's body. She swallowed, giving Weiss the tiniest nod as she pulled the heiress' hands away from her face, moving to stand up. Weiss helped her to her feet, feeling fragile determination slowly overpowering Ruby's fear and uncertainty.

"Ruby! Weiss!"

The two were startled by the call of their names, looking towards the voice. Yang and Blake were running towards them from the opposite side of the construction yard, worry plain on their faces. Sun and Neptune trailed behind them, looking equally concerned.

The group came to a stop right in front of them, Yang looking between her girlfriend and her sister. "Are you two alri-" Her voice caught in her throat when she looked down, seeing Penny limp on the ground. "Oh… crap…" She breathed, shock in her voice.

"Oh, no." Blake gasped, her feline ears folding back as she took in the unmoving girl. "Is… is she…?"

"No." Ruby said, her voice hard. Noticing Blake and Yang 's brow raise at her tone, Ruby tried to sound more confident than she felt. "She's not… not gone. Just… knocked out."

Sun eyed Penny in apprehension, glancing between her limp form and Ruby. "Uh… with her eyes open?"

"Uh…" Ruby stared back at him, floundering for an answer.

"It's Penny's secret to tell," Weiss said, drawing everyone's attention. "What's important is that she's alright… probably."

"Probably?" Blake asked, eyebrow raised.

Weiss bit back a groan. "Very, _very_ long story, which I will be happy to tell as soon as we don't have a stolen Atlassian warmachine trying to kill us!"

Everyone flinched back as Weiss voice rose in volume and pitch. Then, realizing something, Ruby furrowed her brow. "Wait… where is the mech?"

A metallic groan answered her before anyone else could. Everyone snapped back to their battle stance, Weiss and Ruby crouching protectively over Penny's still form, as they took in the sight before them.

The Paladin was a wreck, slumped to one side as its weight shifted. It's black and red paint job had been stripped off by gunfire, just patches of color left on the dented, scratched metal. It's forearms were bare of armor, the molten steel of what was once steel plates dripping off the metal frame of its fingers. The massive energy cannon that had been pointed at Weiss earlier was ruined, its barrel having melted and bent under its own weight. From the waist down, the mech was encased in ice, steam billowing from the mechs feet as molten slag pooled around the ice. The cockpit was dark, no sign movement, no sound to be heard.

"Is… is it dead?" Yang asked, her fist already pulled back to fire if the Paladin so much as twitched.

Weiss eyed the mech warily. "Possibly… if Torchwick failed to properly shield the Paladin from EMP detonation." At the sense of confusion coming from Yang and Ruby, she explained, "I sincerely doubt an EMP generator is a standard feature of this mech. It's likely one of the 'modifications' Penny mentioned earlier."

Accepting her reasoning, the group stood there, waiting for the Paladin to make a move.

"Should we try to pull Torchwick out of there?" Sun asked after a minute.

" _Hehehe_ …"

Everyone jumped as a light, short chuckle came from the Paladin's external speakers. Ruby narrowed her eyes as she gripped Crescent Rose, unconsciously loading a fresh clip.

" _Well, kiddos, I must say, that was fun_."

The Paladin shuddered, the lights of the cockpit flickering back on. As the mech straightened up, it rammed both of its heated, cherry-red hands against its icy prison, sending up clouds of hissing steam.

" _But I think it's time we speed things along, huh_?"

Ruby's mind went into overdrive, thinking over every option she could come up with. The fight wasn't done yet.

Without taking her eyes off the mech, she asked, "Did that EMP mess with anyone's weapons?"

"My gun mode is shot." Neptune whispered, his voice strained as he forcibly changed the weapon into its melee form.

"Mine are stuck in nunchuk mode. Transformation switch got fried." Sun grumbled as he uselessly jabbed a button on each nunchuk.

Blake's only answer was to change Gambol Shroud's clip, then shift it to sword mode. Ruby didn't even have to ask Weiss and Yang, knowing neither of their weapons contained anything electronic.

Ruby opened her mouth to give orders, when a shattering sound broke the silence. One of the mech's legs had broken free, causing spiderweb cracks to form throughout the remaining ice.

Ruby gulped. She shook her head hard, riding herself of her worry. "Sun, Neptune. Grab Penny and take her back to Beacon. Keep her safe, and we'll catch up when we can."

Sun shot her a surprised look. When he met her silver gaze, his lips tightened to a grim line. "Protection duty. Got it. C'mon, Nep." Sun bent over to pick Penny up by her waist, only to struggle when he tried to lift her. "Geez, how is someone so small so heavy?" Neptune then grabbed her by the legs, and the two managed to half-carry, half-drag the deactivated android out of sight behind a freeway pillar, her swords dragging along the ground behind them.

"What about us, Ruby?" Weiss asked, Yang and Blake listening as they all eyed the escaping mech.

Ruby's eyes shot all around the construction yard, focusing on the mech's quickly melting ice. They had seconds before it was loose.

"Yang," Ruby started. "Circle behind it and get ready. Blake, Weiss, go Checkmate. Blake, when you get to the other side of it, you and Yang-"

" _Sorry, Little Red_..."

Torchwick's voice brought Ruby's orders to a dead stop. With a final massive shake, the Paladin broke free of its frozen bonds, sending chunks of ice flying. There were multiple sounds of scraping metal, and holes appeared all over the mech's surface, from the cockpit, to its shoulders, to its legs.

" _But this party's over_."

More scraping metal, and turreted domes popped out of each hole. Red laser sights focused on the four girls. Ruby felt her stomach drop.

" _Bye, bye, brats_!"

Bullets everywhere. Ruby didn't even get the chance to tell her team to scatter, they were already moving. It didn't matter. Even as they all split up, at least two turrets had each girl in their sights at all time. Bullets peppered the ground behind Ruby as she Semblanced out of the way, diving behind a concrete pillar. Each of the others did the same, pressing up against the stone columns as bullets ripped into the concrete.

" _Aww. Hiding, are we?_ " Torchwick shouted in a patronizing tone as the turrets slowly ceased firing. The mech wheeled forward, spinning in a lazy circle. " _Hate to break it to you, kids, but it's pretty obvious where you are. Like you… Kitty Cat!_ " The mech suddenly lunged, backhanding the pillar closest to it. A black blur shot out seconds before the pillar was pulverised, Blake running hard as every turret focused on her.

Before they could fire, a burst of fire and shrapnel erupted against the mech's cockpit. The Paladin shuddered, twisting it's waist towards the gunfire.

"Hey!" Yang shouted as from beside a concrete pillar, fist extended as smoke drifted from Ember Celica's barrels. "Only I can call her that!"

In response, a dozen laser sights trained on her.

Yang flinched at the sudden attention. "Uh oh." She yelped, diving back behind the pillar as a hail of bullets tore into the concrete, chipping it away little by little.

Ruby watched in growing panic as Yang's barrier was being slowly obliterated. _C'mon…_ She thought to herself, looking over the mech. _There's got to be a weakness. Those turrets will rip apart anyone in their sights. We have to take them out. Maybe…_

The Paladin spun towards Yang's pillar, giving Ruby her first good view of the mech's back. To her surprise, unlike the front of the mech, which was completely loaded with turrets, there were only two on its back, one of which was smoking with a massive hole through its middle. As the mech continued its barrage from the front, Ruby could see only a single red laser sight searching for targets from the back.

 _That's it!_ Ruby thought excitedly. _If I take out that turret… if Yang keeps it distracted, then Blake and Weiss can…_

Ruby nodded to herself, reading herself to jump and shoot.

 _I'll have to move fast. I hope Blake and Weiss will be able to hear me over the gunfire._

* * *

Blake gasped as she hid against the back of a pillar, nearly bowling an already hiding Weiss in the process. Weiss made no comment, merely looking Blake over for any injuries, then peaking back around the edge of the pillar at the hail of bullets raining down on Yang's position. From where they were, she couldn't see even a glimpse of the blonde, only the cloud of dust and concrete flying up from the deteriorating pillar.

 _She won't last much longer._ Weiss could barely hold back her panic. _We need to do something, before-_

 **Red.**

 **Wait. Run, crisscross. Jump, slash, run.**

-Weiss sucked in a surprised breath. It was like that moment before, only… more complex. Dozens of small movements, packed into just a few seconds. Put all together, Weiss could sum up all those familiar actions with a single word.

 **Checkmate**.

Beside her, Blake let out a similar surprised sound. Their gazes locked, amber and crystal blue each asking the other the same question. Weiss couldn't help but vocalize it.

"Was that…?"

Blake gave a tiny nod. "I think so."

Weiss swallowed. An oddly exasperated part of herself put her new questions aside, adding it to the growing list of things she was going to ask about when they weren't in a fight for their lives. Instead, she griped Myrtenaster tightly, pressing herself against the pillar as she waited for Ruby's signal, Blake mirroring her.

* * *

Ruby counted in her head.

 _One… two… now!_

In a blur of red, she zipped out from behind the pillar, stopping in a kneel, staring down Crescent Rose's sights. The turret locked onto her in an instant, only to explode into shrapnel as Crescent's shot echoed throughout the area. The Paladin's gunfire stopped abruptly, servos screeching as it started to turn.

Ruby took a deep breath, ready to yell. "Bla-"

Ruby blinked, her voice catching in her throat. Blake and Weiss were already moving. In fact, they were already half-way to the mech the second the bullet left Crescent Rose's barrel.

 _But… how did they…_ her thoughts were cut off when both girls lept at the mech, their blades gleaming in the moonlight as they sliced through the turrets on the Paladin's left arm. Torchwick let out a frustrated growl, slamming the mech's right arm over its left in an attempt to crush Blake, only for the cat Faunus to leap over it effortlessly, slicing through the next turret. Weiss leapt after her, throwing up a glyph as the remaining turrets locked onto the two of them. Bullets hammered against the snowflake, forcing the monochrome pair to leap away from the mech before it shattered. Already, red beams of light were training on the pair.

Ruby fired off a few more shots, managing to blast one of the turrets targeting them, before bullets started flying her way once more. _Dang it! We can't do anything with those auto turrets firing at us. Maybe with Yang free, she and Weiss can-_

 **Schrrrnig!**

Ruby glanced towards the ethereal sound of echoing across the yard. Her eyes widened as she watched Weiss stab Myrtenaster into the ground, releasing half her ice Dust into the area around her.

 _But… why-?_

"Heeya!"

Ruby's head shot up at Yang's battle cry, watching as her sister ran out from behind her wrecked pillar, leapt high into the air, and slammed her inflamed fist into the frozen ground. The ice vaporized instantly, sending up a cloud of fog that encompassed the entire area. The Paladin's turrets spun about, their lasers unable to find a target through the thick fog.

Ruby slowed to a stop, staring at her team in shock. _That… that was Freezerburn. How did they know I wanted them to do that?_

 **Violet.**

 **Dash, slash, jump, slash.**

Ruby flinched, her body tensing at the need to move as violet tinted her vision for a moment. Her brow furrowed in confusion at the unfamiliar feeling.

 _Dash, slash… Ladybug?_

Silver eyes widened as Ruby saw Blake's amber gaze focus on her through the fog. Across the Link, she felt Curiosity, Urgency, Expectancy. Suddenly, it clicked.

 _That… that's what happened in Goodwitch's class a few days ago!_ A wide grin spread across Ruby's lips, her veins filling with new-found energy. _Instinct sharing! Yes! Yes, Ladybug, let's go!_

She saw Blake nod in her direction, and suddenly the Faunus rushed at the Paladin. Ruby was hot on her heels, blasting forward in a cloud of red as Crescent Rose changed form.

* * *

"Okay, now this is just annoying."

Roman scowled as he stared at the viewscreen, seeing nothing but a mass of grey. Error and warning messages continuously popped up on screen, stating everything from damaged armor to malfunctioning weapons. Roman could not bring himself to care, too focused on the fact that he was running out of ideas. His extra armor had melted away, his big guns were warped, the overclocked servos were draining power fast, and now, almost all of the autoturrets were scrap metal, and the few that weren't were just as blind as he was at the moment.

And to top it off, he was almost certain that the EMP he'd set off did more damage to himself then to the brats. Sure, he'd taken out Laser Lass with it… somehow… and sent Monkey Boy and his sidekick scurrying away. But now, nothing wanted to work right. He jabbed buttons on both consoles, but either nothing would happen, or they'd just add another error message to the dozens already cluttering up the viewscreen. About the only thing that was still working were the arm and leg controls, but even they took bit of extra effort to move that hadn't been there before.

 _Maybe I'll get lucky and one of them will just run into my fist._ Roman huffed to himself. He slammed the Paladin's controls forward. _If I can get out of this fog…_

Another box appeared on screen, bigger than the rolled his eyes at the message. _Great, another proximity sensor… from the front?_

He had all of a second to question this, when a black and red blur shot out of the fog. There was a dull scraping sound from outside the mech, followed by more error messages as, one by one, the remaining auto turrets went dark. Roman caught the briefest glimpse of that infuriating red hood, before Little Red lept off the mech's right arm, jumping high into the air with that big ass scythe pulled back over her head, Kitty Cat mirroring her as she jumped from the left.

Roman growled. He'd set out to find out one thing, just one little thing, but the Beacon brats were about to mess it all up, _again_.

 _No_.

In pure desperation, Roman pulled a hard as he could on the Paladin's controls.

* * *

Ruby was ecstatic, her heart hammering away thanks the pure adrenaline pumping through her. She reared Crescent Rose back, ready to slice right through the top of the Paladin's cockpit. Blake was right beside her, her lips quirked upwards thanks to her own satisfaction and Ruby's excitement bleeding through the Link. The Faunus readied Gambol Shroud, happy to end this fight and finally get some answers.

Then, the Paladin moved.

How the massive mech could move so fast so suddenly, they could not fathom. One moment, the Paladin was stationary, pouring smoke from the demolished turrets dotting its surface. Then, seemingly in the next second, it's giant open left hand was meeting them in midair.

The attack was so sudden, neither girl got the chance to even try to block. The Paladin's palm hit Blake hard, making her scream in pain as she collided with Ruby. They were both swatted aside like flies.

Ruby gasped as Blake crashed into her. She forced her eyes open, looking behind them. Her stomach dropped as she saw another stone pillar in their flightpath.

Ruby moved without thinking. She wrapped her arms around Blake's waist, straightening herself out as she activated her Semblance. She bent her knees…

One second too late.

With her legs still partially extend, Ruby slammed feet-first into the pillar.

 _ **SNAP!**_

Time seemed to slow as the entire area became deathly silent. Yang and Weiss stopped cold in their rush to get to their girlfriends, their eyes round as saucers as a sickening snap echoed around them. Blake irises shrank at the sound, feeling Ruby's grip on her disappear instantly.

Ruby's whole body went numb, her mind going blank as gravity took its hold. Her Semblance disintegrated around her, half-formed rose petals trailing behind her as she and Blake slid down the concrete pillar, crashing to the gravel in a heap. Cresent Rose slammed into the ground beside her, her blade impaled into the dirt.

Blake scrambled to her knees, turning to find Ruby staring up at the sky, her eyes glazed. Blake's eyes trailed down Ruby's body. Her ears slammed back against her skull, amber irises shrinking in panic at the sight of Ruby's lower leg bent at a horrifying angle.

"Ruby…" She breathed, her words coming out as a panicked hiss.

The silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity.

Then Ruby screamed.

"Augh!"

Pure agony. It was like her leg had been set on fire, burning from the inside out. After her first scream, Ruby clenched her teeth hard, curling in on herself as she tried to clutch at her broken leg. This was a mistake, as a sharp pain shot through her leg, like she was being stabbed from the inside. Her eyes teared up, ragged sobs slipping through her clenched teeth.

Blake watched helplessly, afraid to touch her Mate, for fear of causing her more pain.

" _Incoming, kiddies!_ "

Blake turned around quickly at the yell, Ruby managing to force her eyes open a fraction.

There was a terrifying, familiar hiss of rockets firing, and the Paladin's last two missiles streaked out of its chest, straight at the fallen girls mere meters from it.

"No!" Yang screamed in horror. Weiss threw her hands up in a panic, hoping to form a glyph before the missiles hit.

Blake watched wide eyed as the missiles sped towards her and Ruby. A yellow flash went through her mind, her instincts screaming at her to get the hell out of there, but she couldn't, not with Ruby immobilized by pain.

In desperation, Blake threw her arms over her head, her only thought hoping that she could somehow block the missiles from hitting Ruby.

Then… something strange happened. A small spot of cold formed on neck, quickly spreading out, filling her veins with frost. She felt a vibration in her hands, and her heart gave a surprisingly hard, slow beat.

 **A flash of white.**

 **Block.**

Blake grit her teeth, shutting her eyes as she waited for impact.

Yang and Weiss could only stare helplessly as the missiles exploded against where Ruby and Blake lay. Fire and smoke rose up from the spot, obscuring the area. Weiss froze in place, her fingers only halfway through forming a glyph. She'd been too slow.

Yang stared at the explosion, shaking her head in denial. _T-That's not… Ruby and Blake, they… t-they can't be…_

From within the Paladin, Torchwick let out a disappointed huff. _"Damn. I really thought… wait..."_ The mech remained stationary as the smoke started to blow way in the wind. The mech suddenly flinched back, as if Torchwick had yanked back on the controls in surprise. _"What the hell!?"_

As the fire died and the smoke faded, Yang and Weiss showed identical looks of shock.

"Wha… How is that…?" Yang asked in stunned confusion.

"That's impossible." Weiss breathed, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Ruby stared up at the thinning smoke with wide, wet eyes, her pain shoved away by pure awe. "Blake..." She breathed shakily.

Hearing Ruby's soft call, Blake realized that, somehow, they weren't dead. She's heard the explosion, she'd felt the heat of the blast, but there was strangely no pain. Her arms felt oddly sore, though.

Blake slowly opened her eyes, peering up at the Paladin through her crossed arms. She inhaled sharply, her arms lowering as her ears shot up in shock.

Hovering above her, smoke still drifting off its surface, was the familiar shape of a large snowflake, spinning rapidly as its form shimmered in the moonlight. Just like all of Weiss' glyphs, it was completely identical to the Schnee logo in every way.

Save one.

"Blake…" Ruby murmured again, unable to look away from the sight above her. "Are you doing this?"

Blake didn't answer, just staring up at the impossibility before her.

Spinning above her and Ruby was a glyph.

A _purple_ glyph.

Bright, shining violet, from the flake itself to the two rings surrounding it, the whole thing wreathed in a dark shadow that made the light of the snowflake pop.

Blake's eyes slowly trailed away from the strange glyph, down towards her still-crossed arms. To her complete bafflement, her right hand was shrouded in that same purple light, her fingers curled and folded into familiar gesture, one that she'd seen Weiss make countless times.

On her neck, the blue snowflake on her Mark glowed.

 _Did… did I…?_ She looked back up at the purple snowflake, her ears folding back as the realization sank in. _...Is this glyph… mine?_

" _Well… that's new._ "

Blake snapped back to focus, looking through the glyph - her glyph - at the Paladin just a few meters away from them.

" _Neat trick, kid_." Torchwick's voice sound strained, like he was both shaken and impressed. " _But let's see just how strong it is!_ "

With a squeal and a groan, the Paladin rolled forward, its wheels spinning in the gravel. It reared back its fist, full intending to shatter the off-color glyph.

Weiss, shaken out of her stunned stupor by Torchwick's voice, yelled out in a panic. "Blake, hold it!"

"How!?" The Faunus screamed back, holding her arms over her head. To Weiss' dismay, the violet glyph wavered in the air, it's light flickering .

 _Don't lose focus!_ She wanted to scream. Before she could, Yang let out a yell of her own.

"Get away from them!"

Yang lept forward, running towards the rushing Paladin, her eyes blazing red and her hair glowing in anger. When she saw the mech close the short distance between it and her partner faster than she was, her heart hammered painfully in desperation.

"I won't let you hurt them!"

A tingling sensation shot from her neck down to her legs. The rose on her neck glowed.

Weiss stared after her, ready to follow, when the impossible happened again. One moment, Yang was running towards the Paladin. The next, she vanished, and a yellow blur streaked across the construction yard.

Blake's eyes were wide with fear, watching as the Paladin closed the distance between them in seconds, praying that, wherever and however this glyph had appeared, it would hold against the blow of this giant war machine. Behind her, Ruby did the same, overwhelmed by fear and pain.

The Paladin slowed just slightly, throwing its fist out…

A yellow comet struck it from the side mid-punch. Blake could actually see a shockwave emanate from the impact, pieces of steel either folding in under the blow, or just flying off entirely. In a split second, the cockpit sheared off from the Paladin's main body, the metal breaking and buckling. She heard a scream of shock and panic come from inside the cockpit as it went sailing off away from rest of the mech, crashing and breaking through a concrete pillar before skidding across the ground, leaving a trail in the gravel.

Blake turned away from the broken cockpit, just in time to see the rest of the Paladin collapse, falling forward as electricity arced and sparked from the gaping hole in its center. The mech crashed to the ground, smoke billowing from every crevice in its armor.

Blake barely noticed this, though. Her eyes were trained on the mass of yellow standing in front of her glyph, slowly dissolving to show a snarling Yang, her fist still outstretched from giving the Paladin a massive punch.

Yang's rage disappeared with a blink, red eyes fading back to lavender. She stood up straight, looking from the broken cockpit to the decapitated Paladin, when she noticed what was floating in the air around her. Her mouth fell open as she looked around wildly. Lifting her arm, she grabbed at the mass of yellow. Turning her hand over, she opened her fist and stared at her palm in disbelief. "What…?" She murmured.

As the cloud of yellow drifted to the ground, Ruby reached out and plucked a few spots of yellow from the gravel. She ran her thumb along one of them, recognizing the texture instantly. She couldn't believe it. "Rose petals?" She looked back up at her big sister, still staring down at her palm.

Weiss watched the petals drift in the air in wonder as she came closer to her team. "Yang," she murmured, drawing the blonde's attention. "How did you do that?"

Yang stared back at her, eyeing the yellow rose petals she had apparently created. "I… I have no idea." She admitted with a lost shrug. She then bobbed her head to the side. "How is Blake doing _that_?"

Weiss followed her gaze, towards the violet snowflake now spinning lazily a few feet above them. Tentatively, Weiss reached to touch it. She hesitated for a moment, then pressed her palm against its smooth surface. It was cool to the touch, but not ice cold like her own. More like pressing her hand against a pane of glass on a cool day then a sheet of ice. "Incredible…"

Blake let out a startled gasp when Weiss touched the glyph. She could feel it, like Weiss had laid her hand against her arm. Weiss looked towards her at the sound. Swallowing, the heiress asked, "Blake? Do you think you can cancel the glyph?"

Blake blinked at her, confusion mixing with shock. "How?"

Weiss' eyes trailed to Blake's hand. "Just… uncross your fingers."

Blake looked at her hand, still covered in purple light. Glancing at Weiss, she relaxed her hand, her fingers coming apart. The glow around her hand faded instantly, and seconds later, the glyph phased out of existence.

All four girls stared at the empty space above their heads, utterly confused. The silence was only broken when Ruby let out a yelp, clenching her eyes shut as pain shot up her leg as she shifted her weight.

"Oh! Ruby!" Weiss rushed to her partner's side, trying to assess just how bad Ruby's leg was without moving it.

Yang was right behind her, hovering over them all. "Sis, are you okay?" When Ruby cracked open eye, giving her a flat-if-pained look, Yang let out an awkward laugh. "Yeah, stupid question. Sorry."

Blake looked between them, feeling lost. "What do we-"

 _ **CLANG!**_

The girls stiffened as a deep clang of metal echoed around the area. Yang whirled around towards the sound, arms dropping to a boxing stance. Blake shot into a kneeling position, holding Gambol Shroud in a reverse grip.

Across the yard, The battered Paladin cockpit wobbled where it lay. Another loud bang sounded as the cockpit door shuddered, followed by another. On the fourth sound, the door cracked open, protesting against its bent frame. One last hit made it fly open, and a form tumbled out of the wreckage.

Torchwick gasped for air, coughing and hacking as he pushed himself to his knees. Catching his breath, he forced himself to his feet. His formerly pristine suit was ripped and charred, his coat falling open due to its missing buttons. His bowler hat was gone, showing off his messy orange hair. A trail of blood ran down his face from his hairline, dripping over his right eye. In one hand, he held his cane in a death grip, while in the other, a black metal box, wires dangling across its surface.

Yang and Blake tensed, waiting for Torchwick to make a move. Weiss leaned protectively over Ruby, pointing Myrtenaster at the con man as she spun the cylinder over to lighting Dust.

Torchwick's green eyes took in the field around him, lingering on the destroyed mech, before focusing on the teenagers. He met Yang's red gaze evenly, then turned his attention to Ruby, who glared back at him through her pain.

Torchwick blinked. Then, to their surprise, he dipped his head and placed a hand over his face. He let out soft chuckle that sounded of disbelief. Confusing them further, when he put his hand down and looked at them, he was smiling.

"Well, I must say, that was fun." Torchwick then gave an exaggerated shrug, shaking his head. "But, unfortunately, it seems you broke my new toy, so we'll have to reschedule playtime."

Yang was about to rush him, when a person just seemed to… _appear_ beside Torchwick; a girl around their age, wielding a parasol, her hair and outfit a mismatch of white, brown, and pink.

Torchwick gave the newcomer a smirk. "Neo! Just in time! Let's jet."

The girl eyed him with her mismatched brown and pink eyes, her lips set in a small frown. She gave him a hard look that almost bordered on concern. She nodded all the same, taking his arm.

"Wait!" Blake shouted, getting to her feet and taking a step forward. The odd pair turned towards her, Neo glaring in irritation, while Torchwick eyed the Faunus with amusement.

"Sorry, Kitty Cat, but the fun's over. Places to be, things to steal. You know how it is."

Yang growled when Torchwick used her nickname again, but Blake pressed on. "Why are you working for the White Fang?"

Torchwick blinked at her, then barked a laugh. "Why? Easy. They pay cash."

Blake's ears perked up, her eyes widening. "W-What?"

Torchwick snickered at her bafflement. "Lien, kitten. Makes the world go round." He turned his focus towards the others, his eyes locking with Yang's, then Ruby's. He smiled again, putting two fingers to his forehead in a mock salute. "See ya later, Rosebuds!"

Ruby's eyes widened, her brow furrowing at the con man. Confusion flashed across Yang's face, before she noticed Torchwick take a step backward. "You're not going anywhere!" She snarled. She jabbed her arm forward, Ember Celica roaring.

Torchwick just smirked, finishing his salute as the shotgun burst his him and Neo. To the shock of Team RWBY, the instant the blast hit, Roman and Neo shattered, their bodies breaking apart like they were made of glass. A split-second later, the shards of ex-person faded away, dissolving into nothingness.

"What?" Yang sprinted to where the criminals had been, looking for any sign of them. Blake was right behind her, amber eyes scanning every surface of the construction yard. Her ears folded back when she found nothing, just smashed concrete and a destroyed mech.

"He got away…" Blake's whole body slumped, all her energy drained. All that, for _nothing_.

Yang had similar sentiments, growling as she kicked a piece of scrap metal in frustration. It flew off into the distance, clanging against the concrete.

Ruby felt her heart drop as she felt Blake's hopelessness. "I'm sorry, Blake." She hissed as she felt her leg burn, her eyes watering up again.

Weiss put a hand on Ruby's shoulder in sympathy. Then she remembered. "I managed to get some info from the SDC," she said, drawing startled looks from her team. "I'm sure we'll find something in them."

A spark of hope came from Blake, which quickly spread over the rest of them. "That's great, Weiss!" Ruby beamed up at the heiress. "Now we can- Augh!"

Everyone flinched when Ruby let out yelp, biting her lip to keep from screaming. "Ruby, what is it?" Weiss asked, Blake and Yang sprinting back to their side.

Ruby gasped through her teeth, looking down at her crooked leg. "I think my aura's trying to heal my leg."

"Uh, not at that angle, it's not!" Yang surged forward, kneeling next to Ruby. "Okay, we freak out about everything later. First, we need to get you taken care of, Rubes."

Blake nodded in agreement, scanning over the area again. She squinted at the city skyline. "I don't think the airfield is too far from here. We could try to get back to Beacon."

"Wouldn't it be better to take her to a hospital?" Weiss asked, uncertainty plain on her face.

Blake's ears suddenly shot up. She turned towards the south, her body tensing. Yang and Weiss noticed this. They followed her gaze, confused, until they heard it.

Sirens.

Yang gave Weiss a sidelong look. "Depends. You rather risk explaining all this to the school faculty, or the local PD?"

Weiss met her gaze, then glanced in the direction of the sirens. "Let's go." She said, climbing to her feet and sheathing Myrtenaster.

Yang nodded to her, then turned her attention to Ruby. Her sister looked up at her nervously.

Yang could only give her a helpless half-smile. "Sorry, Ruby." She muttered, trying to keep her voice soft. "This is gonna hurt a bit."

Yang slipped her arms under Ruby's shoulder blades and the back of her knees. The sniper gasped as her leg was jostled. Yang could only give her a sympathetic look, tensing her legs to stand. "Okay, sis. On three. One… two…"

"Wait!"

Yang nearly fell over as Weiss yelled out. She fixed the heiress with a small glare, making Weiss duck her head sheepishly. "Sorry. I just… had an idea." She lifted both her hands, her fingers twitching. "Ruby, lie very still." She crossed her fingers, and a white glow enveloped her hands.

Ruby sucked in a sharp breath when her leg suddenly became very cold. Two glyphs formed around her broken leg, one on her ankle, the other just below her knee. A shiver went up Ruby's spine at the feeling, like the inside of her leg had frozen, but she'd take the numbness over burning pain.

Weiss looked over her handiwork, nodding at Ruby's leg being held straight by her glyphs. "That should help, but I can't hold it long."

Yang nodded back, impressed by Weiss' quick thinking. "Okay, here we go, Rubes." She lifted Ruby off the ground effortlessly. The younger girl let out a small hiss when her leg jostled, but the pain quickly faded against the cold of Weiss' glyphs.

Ruby stiffened suddenly. "Wait! Where's Crescent Rose?"

"I've got it, Ruby." Blake assured her, slinging the compacted scythe over her shoulder. She stumbled a little under the weapon's weight, but adjusted quickly.

Ruby relaxed instantly, leaning into Yang's shoulder. "Okay. Let's go home."

The three uninjured Huntresses took off in a run, Yang cradling Ruby against her chest. As they started moving, Blake let out a groan.

Weiss looked over at her, keeping her fingers crossed as she ran. "What is it?"

Blake held up her scroll. "I was going to find out if Sun and Neptune are okay, but my scroll's fried. Must have been the EMP."

Weiss hummed in acknowledgement, making a note that she'd have to get replacement scrolls for them all.

From her place in Yang's arms, Ruby sent Blake a reassuring smile. "I'm sure they're fine. They're probably back at Beacon already."

* * *

 **Beacon Academy**

In one of Beacon's highest towers, Professor Ozpin sat at his desk, scanning through his various computer screens as information flooded across them. He'd spent most of the day juggling normal Headmaster duties, the headache of the Atlesian military being in his city, and the reports coming in from his various 'side projects.' All in all, it had been a long, tedious day, and he was looking forward to ending it.

He took a long sip from his coffee as he read over the latest report, something about multiple car wrecks and rogue Atlassian equipment. He had just started reading, when an incoming audio call popped up on one of the screens.

"Yes?"

"Sir," A female voice spoke, her tone respectful. " Two boys from Haven Academy just burst into the infirmary carrying an unconscious girl."

Ozpin gave his full attention to the call, his brow furrowing. Given Beacon Academy's nature as a Hunter's school, injuries among the student body were rather common. Unless an injury was life threatening, there was little reason for the Headmaster to be informed every time a student was injured. "Is her situation critical?"

"Well… that's just the thing, sir," The woman( one of the faculty's on duty nurses, if he was remembering correctly) sounded a bit put-off now. "I examined her, and...the girl… sir, the only way for me to put is… she's a robot."

Ozpin stared at the screen for a moment, blinking slowly. His lips straightened into a thin line. "The two boys who brought her in. Did they happen to give the girl's name?"

"Yes, sir. They said her name is Penny."

A sigh escaped Ozpin's lips as he put a hand to his forehead, massaging his temples. "I'll be down shortly. Please inform both young gentlemen to remain where they are until I arrive."

"Yes, sir." The connection cut off.

Ozpin shook his head slightly, already feeling a new headache forming. Whatever the situation was in the infirmary, another talk with his old friend Ironwood would be unavoidable. He made to get out of his chair, when another message appeared on screen, a video call this time. He felt a small bit of exasperation at the interruption, but it died upon seeing the calls place of origin.

Ozpin slowly sat back down in his chair, looking at the call icon as a ringing sound came from his computer terminal. He double checked the caller ID, making sure he hadn't misread it. His curiosity peaked, he accepted the call.

Before he could say anything, the image of a dark-haired woman appeared on screen. "Hello?" She asked, disbelief and desperation in her voice. "Please tell me this is Beacon Academy. I've been trying to get a call through all week!"

Ozpin's eyes widened slightly. His lips then curved up into a small smile. "I am Professor Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy.

How may I help you, Mrs. Belladonna?"

* * *

 **A/n: I'd say I'm sorry for another cliffhanger… but I'm too exhausted to care.**

 **Honestly, when I said I'd finish this chapter even if I had to make a 10k long chapter, I was joking. Last time I tempt fate like that. '^_^ Hopefully you all enjoyed this extra long chapter of LiLaL, and I didn't bore anyone to tears with my attempt at a big battle scene.**

 **I'll see you all … after I get a good night's sleep. :p**


	33. Chapter 33: A Daughter's Remorse

**Chapter 33: A Daughter's Remorse**

"This sucks."

Ruby pouted as she stared at her leg, wrapped in a cocoon of cloth and metal.

Amazingly, her whole team had made it to the airfield with no issues, the Bullhead pilot asking a surprisingly low amount of questions when Yang carried Ruby into the aircraft. It had been a tense ride back to Beacon, each of the wrapped up in their own thoughts for the time being. The only bit of conversation had been Blake asking Weiss about the information she'd acquired.

A quick run through the nigh-empty grounds, and Team RWBY had busted through the infirmary doors, into a long room filled with beds on either side. To their surprise, Sun and Neptune were there waiting for them, sitting next to a bed that contained a comatose Penny.

The on-duty nurse had given them all a stern look, looking rather irritated at everyone. Regardless, the woman had wasted no time analysing Ruby's injury, encasing her leg in a brace once she identified the extent of the break. Then she demanded Ruby spend the night in the infirmary, placing her on an empty bed and propping her leg up on a pair of pillows.

Weiss sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I know, Ruby, but it won't be so bad."

"Three days!" Ruby shouted, throwing her arms up over her head. "I'm gonna be stuck like this for three days! How is that not bad?"

"Could be worse, Sis." Yang leaned against the wall by the bed, a crooked smile on her lips. "Last time I broke my arm, it took me two weeks to heal. And, hey, at least you ain't the only one who broke something." As proof, she raised her right hand, showing of the small cast wrapping around her pinky and ring fingers. The nurse had made a point to look them all over after Ruby, and had been annoyed to find that Yang had managed to fracture the bones in her knuckles. No amount of assurance from the blonde that she was fine could stop the nurse from slapping a brace over Yang's busted hand.

Ruby huffed at her, crossing her arms. "Your's will be healed by tomorrow. I'm just stuck like this."

"Hey, Yang's right, Ruby." Sun from across the room, sitting backwards in a borrowed chair next to Penny's bed. He crossed his arms over the chair's back, smirking. "It could be _way_ worse. You could be like the non-Hunters, no Semblance, nor aura-healing, and be limping around for two _months_." Neptune nodded in agreement, standing next to his friend.

Ruby's eyes widened as she swallowed thickly. She let out a groan, letting her head fall back on her pillow. "Still sucks," She muttered, pouting up at the ceiling.

Weiss breathed a laugh. "I don't know Ruby. It might be good for you to slow down for once."

Ruby responded by sticking out her tongue at the heiress, making Weiss roll her eyes.

Blake chuckled at her Mates' banter, sitting on the opposite side of the bed, mindful of Ruby's broken leg right next to her.

The room fell silent, and as the seconds ticked on, tension started to build. While the nurse was fixing Ruby's leg, Sun had relayed a bit of terrifying news:

Professor Ozpin was on his way down to see Penny.

Blake's eyes drifted to the bed across from Ruby's. Penny's dull grey eyes stared back at her, cold and lifeless. The girl was put on her stomach, metal wires running from out her back down to the foot of her bed, where her swords lay in a heap. Her jetpack was still in place, giving a clear view that she wasn't wearing the contraption, it was physically attached to her.

Upon seeing the state Penny was in, Ruby and Weiss knew that there was no chance of hiding her robotic nature from their team. They'd reluctantly told the group about how they'd met Penny at the CCT, and how everything had snowballed from there.

As Blake looked at the deactivated android, she felt conflicted. Part of her didn't know what to make of the situation. A synthetic lifeform, one that seemed completely human in every way; the very idea was frightening. Alien.

But that part of Blake's mind shut down once she remembered everything Penny had done. She'd helped herself and Ruby fight that night at the docks. She'd saved Yang from becoming a smear on Vale's streets. She'd saved Weiss from being lasered into oblivion.

Whatever confusion Blake had over the situation, one thing was certain: Penny had saved her Mates, putting herself in harm's way to protect them. To Blake, that meant she deserved the benefit of the doubt.

Yang had had a similar thought, merely staring at Penny wide-eyed for a few moments, before shrugging. It was weird, -beyond weird-, but after everything that had happened that day, a laser shooting robot girl was just one more bit of crazy to add to the list.

Surprisingly, Sun and Neptune had barely reacted to the information at all. Considering that they had been the ones to carry Penny all the way back to Beacon, they'd gotten a pretty good idea of what Penny was even before the nurse confirmed it for them. They'd come to a simple agreement: ask Penny about it when she woke up, and just go from there.

But first, they all had to deal with the same problem. What were they going to tell Professor Ozpin? Not just about Penny, but about why she was with RWBY to begin with? How did Ruby break her leg? How were Sun and Neptune involved?

Sun and Neptune were fretting about that, but for the members of Team RWBY… something much stranger, more extraordinary was on their minds.

Between the four of them, a myriad of emotions formed within the Link, pooling around them in a way that made it nearly impossible to tell which feeling came from which girl. Confusion, Worry, Awe, Curiosity, Excitement, Nervousness, Fear; the four Mates could only sit in silence, thinking over the impossibility of their fight with Torchwick.

Unable to take the quiet anymore, Yang let out a resigned sigh. "So… anyone got a clue about what the _hell_ happened out there?"

Everyone turned towards her, Sun and Neptune looking on in confusion. Blake's ears folded back slightly in worry. "I don't know, Yang. That… that was incredible."

"More like 'impossible.'" Weiss muttered, crossing her arms as she frowned at nothing.

Yang chuckled nervously. "Apparently not, Snowflake. I…" She shook her head, grinning in disbelief. "I used Ruby's Semblance."

The following silence was deafening. Yes, the other members had witnessed Yang's sudden burst of super-speed, but somehow, hearing Yang say it aloud made it much more real.

"But… you couldn't have," Weiss denied weakly, a lost look in her eyes. "You have a completely different Semblance from Ruby. Semblances don't just _change_."

"Well, I did _something_." Yang let out a frustrated sigh, running her good hand through her hair. "I mean… you all saw the rose petals, right?"

Weiss faltered, looking down at her hands. "Y-Yes… but we don't know for sure if they really were the same as Ruby's-"

"They were." Ruby said softly, cutting Weiss off. All eyes turned to her, everyone noting the thoughtful look on her face. She hesitated under the attention, but she explained. "I grabbed a few of them when they hit the ground." She lifted her arm, a red haze forming around it as she moved it in front of her. As her arm blurred over the short distance, a few red rose petals trailed behind it. Ruby snatched them out of the air, holding them in her palm. She ran her thumb over them, feeling the texture. "They felt exactly like mine. Just… they were yellow."

Weiss looked at the petals in Ruby's palm, eyes filled with uncertainty. She let out a sigh, looking between Ruby and Yang helplessly. Her emotions were clear: Confusion. Denial. Wonder. Awe. She closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. "But it doesn't make sense! How could Yang just suddenly use Ruby's Semblance like that? It goes against everything I've learned. Yang using superspeed would be like… like…"

"Me using glyphs?"

Weiss stiffened at Blake's soft question. She lowered her hand, meeting Blake's uncertain gaze as the Faunus' ears pinned back. She held Blake's eyes for a moment, then her shoulders slumped in defeat. She closed her eyes again, hanging her head. "Yes," She reluctantly admitted. "Exactly like that."

Silence fell once again, each girl retreating into her own thoughts.

Across the room, Neptune leaned over Sun's shoulder, cupping his hand over his mouth. "You feel like we missed something?" He whispered, eyes still on the group of girls.

Sun just nodded, resigning himself to being out of the loop. "Uh-huh." He rested his chin on his arms, watching the conversation in the hopes he could figure out just what the _hell_ they were talking about.

Before the silence could turn awkward, Weiss took a loud, deep breath, standing up from the bed. "Okay," She said, whirling around to face her team. "Let's just… figure out exactly what happened. Blake," She turned her attention to the cat-Faunus, who looked back up at her in question. "When you-" Weiss took another breath, as if steeling herself. "-made that glyph… do you remember what you were thinking?"

Blake's brow furrowed in thought as she thought back to that moment, watching the Paladin's missiles streak towards her and Ruby. "I didn't really have time to think. I just wanted to keep Ruby safe." She glanced towards the sniper, who beamed back. Blake returned the smile, before turning back to Weiss. "I hoped that I could… somehow block the missiles."

"That's it?" Weiss asked, eyebrow arching in disbelief. "You just…. hoped?"

Blake shrugged. "I guess…" Then she blinked, remembering. "Well, I did _feel_ something."

"Feel?" Weiss asked. "Like, with the Link?"

Blake considered that. "Not… exactly. My vision tinted white, and my instincts told me block. Then… I felt cold." Weiss blinked in surprise, and Blake explained. "I felt this spot of cold in my neck… my Mark. Then, it expanded, down my neck and to my arms." She frowned, feeling frustrated at herself. "I don't remember anything passed that. I closed my eyes, I… _felt_ the explosion. And when I looked up…"

"Purple glyph." Yang finished, crossing her arms as she leaned heavily against the wall.

Blake nodded, having no other words to explain. She looked at Yang expectantly. "What about you, Yang? What do you remember?"

Yang met her amber gaze evenly, then let out a deep breath. "Geez, I don't know. It happened in, like, a second. I saw that I wasn't going to reach you guys in time and, next thing I know, I'm right in front you and Ruby, the mech's trashed, and my hand feels like I tried to punch a mountain."

"Did you feel anything?" Ruby asked, looking up at her sister with starry eyes. As weird as it was that she'd seen Yang use her Semblance, part of her was bouncing off the walls with excitement. She loved her super speed, and the idea that she might be able to share it with someone… "Blake said she felt cold. Did my Semblance make you feel anything?"

Yang saw the look in Ruby's eye, and sighed in exasperation. "Okay, let me think." She thought back to the fight, to the moment she realized that she wasn't going to reach her Mate and her sister in time. The desperation, the fear, the way how all her energy seemed to disappear at once, the pain buzzing in her legs…

Yang's eyes widened.

"Yeah… yeah, I do remember something." Her teammates listened intently, filled with curiosity and wonder. "I realized I wasn't going to make it, and then I felt this… tingling feeling in my legs."

"Tingling?" Weiss asked, tilting her head slightly.

Yang nodded. "Yeah. It was weird. I suddenly felt like I'd run a marathon. My lungs were burning and my legs felt like pins and needles."

Weiss suddenly stiffened. That... sounded very familiar. In fact, she'd had that same feeling earlier that day.

 _No… no, there's no way_. "Yang… did your Mark tingle a little as well?"

Yang blinked at Weiss, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Actually… yeah. It started in my neck, and then it shot-"

"-Down your spine?" Weiss asked, biting her bottom lip. "To your legs?"

Yang's eyes narrowed further. "Yeah… exactly like that. How did you know that's how it felt?"

Weiss swallowed down the lump in her throat, her shoulders fighting with nervous energy. "That depends. After the tingling feeling went to your legs, did things seem different to you? Like the world around you…changed color?"

Yang's eyes went wide. "Y-Yeah. Everything went yellow." She uncrossed her arms staring at Weiss in shock. "Weiss, how do you know that?"

Weiss met her eyes, glancing at Blake and Ruby, before looking down at the ground. "Because… I think I did the same thing earlier today."

Ruby's eyes widened, looking between her partner and her sister. _Weiss used my Semblance too?!_ Blake and Yang had similar thoughts, staring at the heiress in complete bafflement.

"Weiss…" Ruby breathed. "When did-?"

 _Click!_

All conversation came to a dead stop as the infirmary door swung open.

"Aww, right when things were getting interesting…" Sun mumbled. A sharp elbow-jab from Neptune silenced him, and every teen in the room felt cold dread when they saw who had just entered.

"Well, it would seem I'm late to the party." Professor Ozpin quipped, the corner of his lip lifting slightly at their shocked looks as he walked into the room, his cane clicking lightly on the linoleum floor. "I would say 'good evening', but it seems you all might disagree."

A bit confused by his words, Blake took a quick glance around the room. She had to hold back a grimace as she noticed the state her team was in. With everything going through her mind, appearances had escaped her attention. Now she wished she'd noticed sooner.

Even aside from Yang and Ruby's injuries, Team RWBY looked like they'd crashed headfirst through a building. Their once clean and pristine outfits were riddled with cuts and small tears, brown stains and smudges gathered around their arms and backs. Even Sun and Neptune hadn't ecaped unscatheed, their clothes covered in gravel and dirt.

Weiss was the first to really react, cheeks tinting in embarrassment as she crossed her arms, trying to hide a large rip across her jacket, showing off a tiny sliver of pale skin across her stomach. "S-Sir, I promise we can explain why we look-!"

Ozpin cut her off with a raised hand, smiling patiently. "And I look forward to hearing that explanation… tomorrow."

There was a brief moment of silence, surprised looks being the only response to his statement. Blake decided to be brave and asked, "Tomorrow, sir?"

Ozpin merely nodded. "You all appear to have gone through quite an ordeal. I suggest you all have a good night's rest, and first thing tomorrow, you can all explain, in detail, exactly how it is you all encountered a stolen military prototype, and decided to fight it all by yourselves down a three-mile stretch of highway."

Everyone ducked their heads as Ozpin finished speaking. He didn't raise his voice, nor did his smile falter, but the look in his eyes said it all: Ozpin wasn't happy with them.

Ozpin's smile widened slightly at their reactions. "Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir." The group chorused in resignation.

Ozpin nodded to them, satisfied with their answer. "Very good. Now then," He then turned towards Sun and Neptune, his smile fading to a grim line. The Haven students flinched under the sudden attention, only to realize that the professor was actually looking passed them. Ozpin took a few steps toward the bed behind them, looking down at the silent android. "What I _would_ like answered right now is, how exactly do you know this girl?"

With that single sentence, the tension in the room increased tenfold. There was something about the way Ozpin was looking at Penny, the slight dip in his tone, that made each teen shiver slightly.

"She's our friend," Ruby finally said.

Ozpin turned to face Ruby, raising a single brow at her. "Is she?"

Ruby nodded, smiling slightly. "Yep! We met her last month and she helped us with… some things." She trailed off quickly, realizing that, as far as they knew, Ozpin didn't know about the battle down at the docks.

The corner of Ozpin's lip quirked at her sudden fumbling. He hummed slightly, looking back down at Penny. "I see. Then, if you would, Miss Rose, what is your opinion of Penny?"

Ruby blinked at the question. "Um… she's nice? Always wanting to help, very friendly. I'm happy I met her."

Ozpin nodded. "And that opinion still holds true? Even knowing her… nature?"

Ruby tilted her head a bit, unsure what Ozpin meant. Then she saw him glance towards the foot of Penny's bed, at the pile of swords and wires resting at Penny's feet. Ruby's eyes widened in realization. "You mean… that she's a robot?" She asked hesitantly.

Ozpin nodded again. "Yes."

A deep frown formed on Ruby's face, confusion in her silver eyes. "What does that matter?"

Now it was Ozpin's eyes that widened, if only slightly. He stared at Ruby for a few seconds, his expression rather blank. His eyes slowly drifted away from Ruby, over the other students in the room. Yang wore a frown just like Ruby's, though there was an almost challenging glint in her eye. Weiss just looked worried, eyes darting between Ruby and Ozpin, likely afraid that her partner had crossed some line. Blake simply met his gaze, though her flicking ear betrayed her nerves.

One thing was clear, though: none of the members of Team RWBY seemed to disagree with their leader's words.

Ozpin then turned his attention to the two Haven students, who each flinched when he met their eyes. "What of you two? What's your opinion of this girl?"

Sun and Neptune glanced at each other, unsure how to answer. Neptune shrugged at Sun, leaving the question to him. They turned back to the Headmaster, Sun sitting up a little straighter in his chair. "We only really met her tonight. She seems okay. Saved our butts a couple times."

Ozpin's eyebrow raised again, and Neptune resisted the urge to smack the back of his friend's head. Trying to salvage his partners' informal statement, Neptune said, "She seemed a little shy when we first met, but she was very friendly once we introduced ourselves."

Ozpin hummed to himself. He looked over the room at large, noting the nervous and determined looks he was receiving. He looked back down at Penny, at her blank eyes. He noticed a strand of orange hair that had fallen across her face. Brow furrowed slightly, he bent down, running a hand across Penny's forehead, tucking the hair back behind her ear. Her skin felt warm, exactly like a normal girl's.

The Headmaster looked into Penny's grey eyes for a moment, as if searching for something. He apparently found whatever it was, nodding slightly to himself before standing up straight.

"Again," He said aloud, almost to himself. "Something to discuss tomorrow. In the meantime." He tuned back to the teens, his usual small smile back in place. "It's getting late, and I'm sure you all could use some rest. Miss Rose, I understand you will be spending the night here?"

Ruby crossed her arms, grumbling to herself. "That's what the nurse said…"

Ozpin just smiled. "Well then, perhaps your team could bring you a meal before visiting hours end. As for you two," Ozpin fixed Sun and Neptune with a look that froze their veins. "Can I expect to see both you in my office by ten tomorrow, alongside Team RWBY?

Sun swallowed, wondering how Beacon's headmaster could be nothing like his own, yet somehow be even scarier. "Yes sir. We'll be there bright and early."

Ozpin nodded in acceptance. "Very good. Now, Miss Belladonna…"

Blake's ears shot straight up at her being addressed. She wilted under the Headmaster's gaze. "Y-Yes, sir?"

The smile on Ozpin's face grew slightly, his eyes a bit brighter than before. "There is a small issue that has been brought to my attention, regarding yourself. If you'd please accompany me to my office, I'm sure we could clear everything up."

Blake's ears pinned back, a look of dread on her face. _W-What? What does that mean? Does…_ A thought struck her, sending a cold chill down her spine. _Did he maybe_ just _find out that I was in the White Fang?_

She felt a warm hand land on her arm, cutting through her panicked thoughts.

Ruby sat up in her bed, wincing slightly as her leg jolted in protest. She ran her hand up and down Blake's forearm, hoping to soothe the Faunus' worry. She looked up at the headmaster in concern. "Sir, is Blake in some kind of trouble?"

Ozpin merely chuckled. "Not at all. Just a minor discrepancy on her student record I'd like to get cleared up. Once we're finished, I'll send her back to your dorm room."

Blake's worry turned to confusion, wondering what he meant. Ozpin then met her eyes, before looking pointedly at the top of her head. His eyebrow rose again.

Blake blushed in embarrassment, her cat ears twitching slightly. _Right. The school records still have me listed as a human. Why didn't I think of that?_

She shot Ruby a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Ruby. I'll see you all soon." Without a second thought, she leaned over and pecked Ruby on the cheek.

Ruby was startled for a moment, before a broad grin spread over her face. "O-Okay."

Blake stood up from the bed, missing Weiss' eyes bugging out as they darted from the Mates to Ozpin. For his part, the headmaster's only reaction was his brow raising just a hair higher.

"See ya later, Blake." Yang said with a grin, though her gaze did stray to Ozpin, a wary glint in her eyes.

Blake nodded to her, smiling, when she felt a sudden burst of Worry, Want, Indecision, coming from beside her. She saw Weiss looking at her, biting her lip as her eyes darted between herself, Ruby, and then Professor Ozpin.

For once, Blake didn't need to guess at what Weiss was worrying about. She leaned across the bed, putting her hand over Weiss'. The heiress stiffened in surprise, then gave a soft smile when she realized what Blake was doing. Blake smiled back, giving Weiss' hand a small squeeze.

Giving her attention back to Ozpin, Blake nodded. "Ready when you are, Sir."

Ozpin merely nodded, smiling kindly. "Very well then. I'll see you tomorrow, Team RWBY, gentlemen." Nodding to each group, he started walking away, back towards the doors, Blake trailing behind him.

As the student-teacher pair disappeared out the doors, Sun stood up from his chair, patting the dust and dirt from his pants legs. "Well, if he ain't gonna chew us out tonight, I think that's our que to head out." He flashed the remaining girls his usual grin. Throwing up a hand in a lazy wave, Sun headed for the door. "See y'all tomorrow at court!"

As the girls called out a goodbye, Neptune rolled his eyes at his partner's antics, following him out. "See you all later." Before the door shut fully, though, he poked his head back in, looking a little nervous. "Oh, um, Weiss?"

Weiss perked up, surprised at being addressed. "Yes?"

Neptune rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, uh… I just wanted to say…" He trailed off when he noticed Yang giving him a hard look, certain that for a brief moment, her eyes had blazed red. Sweat running down his forehead, he shouted, "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable!" Then he ran out of the room like a Beowulf was after him.

Weiss blinked at the infirmary door, which Neptune had slammed shut in his mad dash away. "What was that about?"

Yang followed her gaze. "No idea." She said, smirking slightly.

Ruby looked between the two, feeling about as lost as Weiss looked. Her eyes stopped on Weiss, drifting down to the heiress' hands. She held up her own, a curious look on her face as she flexed it, the earlier conversation playing back in her head.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud growl. Yang and Weiss jumped at the sound, then looked down at Ruby, Weiss raising an unimpressed eyebrow, while Yang just smirked knowingly. The sniper smiled back sheepishly, her cheeks tinting as her stomach let loose another grumble.

"So... Ozpin said something about dinner?"

* * *

Blake couldn't help but fidget as she followed Professor Ozpin down the hall. While she respected the man as a Hunter and a teacher, ever since her interview with him all those months back, she'd always had a feeling of unease whenever he was around. The fact that he'd made her for a Faunus, possibly even a White Fang member, within minutes of meeting her always made her wonder just how much her headmaster saw around him.

Ozpin gave her no mind, leading Blake to the elevators. Rather then hit the up button, he waved his scroll in front of a small lens beside the doors. A small chime sounded, and the elevator doors opened. Blake followed him inside, and the doors slid shut without him hitting a button, the elevator slowly rising.

Awkward silence fell. At least, it was awkward for Blake. Ozpin just grinned, humming along with a little tune coming from the elevator speakers.

Blake resigned herself to the silence, focusing instead on what she and her Mates were going to say tomorrow. Try as she might to come up with a way around their movements that evening, she kept coming up blank. Ozpin's comment had made it clear, he knew they had fought the Paladin. If it had just been the four of them, maybe they could pass it off as just being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but with having roped in Sun and Neptune, and later Penny, the chances of Ozpin believing that were slim.

The terrifying part was, Blake had already thought of the obvious answer: tell the truth. Tell him about the White Fang, her involvement, her need for fixing what she and Adam started. How she and her teammates had gone out to find information on their one lead, and gotten more than they'd bargained for in the form of a madman with a mech.

But she couldn't do that. If she told him that, there'd be questions, ones she was sure she didn't want to answer. So, no, they need to come up with a plan, with something to-

"An eventful night, I take it?"

Blake was jolted from her thoughts by Ozpin's voice, and jumped when she found the headmaster looking down at her, eyes bright behind his spectacles. "Um… I beg your pardon… Sir?"

Ozpin gave her a wry grin. "Just seeing if you were still with me, Miss Belladonna. I was afraid you may have dozed off for a moment.."

Blake's ears tilted back, embarrassed. "Sorry, Sir. I just have a lot on my mind at the moment."

Ozpin nodded knowingly, facing the elevator doors. "Oh, I can relate. I've been having my fair share of headaches as of late. The world seems bound and determined to complicate itself."

Blake hummed in agreement, not really having a comment for that.

Strangely, Ozpin's grin widened a little as he continued. "Still, enough good happens now and again to balance things out. In fact, that's partly why I asked you here."

Blake blinked at that, a little lost by Ozpin's random comment. "Sir?"

Ozpin glanced at her as the elevator dinged, the doors sliding open to reveal his brightly lit office. "I must apologize, Miss Belladonna, but I must admit to bringing you here under false pretenses."

As if a lightning bolt had shot up her spine, Blake stiffened, her ears pinning back in shock. Every worst-case scenario flashed through her mind, dread pooling in her stomach. Had the White Fang made some kind of move? Were she and her Mates already in some kind of trouble. Had- Blake swallowed hard as a chilling thought hit her. _Have they found out my connection to Adam?_

Before she could lose herself to panic, Ozpin held up a hand, speaking in strong, clear tone. "Calm yourself, Miss Belladonna. I promise you that you are in no trouble. I merely wanted to address this with you away from prying eyes and ears."

It took a moment for Blake's heart to start beating again, a strained wheez passing her lips sucked in a startled breath. Relief flooded through her, her ears relaxing just a little. As her panic left her, though, confusion took its place, as she wondered what it was Ozpin wanted to discuss.

Ozpin led Blake out of the elevator, and the Faunus took a moment to take in the amazing view from outside Ozpin's window. From the high above the campus, both the countryside and the city of Vale seemed to stretch on forever. With her night vision, Blake could make out every tree in the emerald forest, the lights of Vale's skyline shining like a brilliant light show. It was breathtaking.

A mere step into the room, Ozpin started explaining. "You see, Miss Belladonna, just before I went down to the infirmary, I received a video call from… a rather spectacular individual. One who I didn't think I'd ever have the pleasure of conversing with."

Blake looked at the headmaster queerly as he followed him to his desk, unsure where he was going with this.

Ozpin went on. "We spoke for a little while, exchanging pleasantries, before she explained to me her reason for calling."

Blake tilted her head slightly in thought. Clearly, whoever this person was must have something to do with her. Why else would Ozpin bother mentioning it?

"It would seem that she has been trying to reach Beacon Academy for some time now, but between the distance and a storm rolling through the area, her signal didn't reach here until today. "

Ozpin rounded his desk, Blake stopping in front of it. "Okay…" Blake said warily, trying to follow along. "What did this person want?"

At that, Ozpin broke out into another wry grin. "That would perhaps best be explained by the person herself." To Blake's shock, rather than sit down in his large office chair, Ozpin took a step behind it, swiveling to the side with an expectant look on his face.

It took Blake a moment to realize what Ozpin was getting at, her ears shooting straight up when she did. She looked between the Headmaster and the chair with wide eyes, a look of disbelief on her face. "S-Sir?" She stuttered out.

Ozpin continued to smile, looking more amused as time went on. "A bit unorthodox, I'll admit. But, for tonight, I'll make an exception." He patted the chair's backrest. "Come now, I promise this will all make sense on a moment."

Blake just stared at the man, her mind going blank out of confusion. There were many things she had thought about the Headmaster doing in regards to her, from confronting her about the White Fang, to him handing her her Hunter's licence after surviving all four years at the Academy.

Being told to sit in his chair, _at the Headmaster's desk,_ was not one of them.

After an awkward few seconds, Blake robotically made her way around the desk. She made to sit down, casting Ozpin a worried glance, as if asking if this was really okay. From the look on his face, Blake wouldn't have put it past the headmaster to roll his eyes at her, instead giving an encouraging nod. Blake slowly sank into the leather chair, as if afraid it would explode.

As Ozpin spun the chair to face her forward, Blake got the very surreal sight of the Headmaster's office from his point of view. On the desk were several computer screens, all of them glowing a calming light blue, each one showing a screensaver of the Beacon emblem, spinning slowly in the center of the screen, save one. On the centermost screen, among the clutter-free desktop, was the familiar symbol for a video call, a simple message below it asking if she wanted to reconnect the call.

Leaning over her shoulder, Ozpin reached for the keyboard. "I believe we've kept her waiting long enough." Before Blake could protest (she had so many questions, not the least of which being, _who is on the other end of this call?_ ), Ozpin hit a key, and a window filled up the screen, showing a woman's face.

Blake stopped breathing.

Jet black hair, cut into a short bob. Amber eyes, filled with warmth and care. Two sleek cat ears, just like hers, a few golden piercings dotting around their edges. Skin just a shade darker than her own, kissed by the tropical sun.

Every thought in Blake's head abandoned her, leaving just a feeling that she'd suddenly become ten years old again.

"Mom?"

The moment the video call opened, Kali Belladonna let out a gasp of shock, followed by a joy-filled smile. "Blake!" The older Faunus let out a deep breath, as if releasing all the tension in her body. "Oh, baby girl, it's so good to see you."

Before Blake could form a coherent thought, Ozpin lightly cleared his throat. "I believe that is my cue to leave." He placed a hand on Blake's shoulder, Blake turning stiffly to face him. He smiled down at her. "If you need me for anything, I'll be in the next room over." As he turned to walk away, the smile left his face. "I have a call of my own to attend to." he muttered to himself, his eyes gaining a hard glint as he left the room, the door swing shut behind him.

Blake blinked dumbly at the closed door, unable to process a word of what he said.

"Blake?" Kali called from computer, worry in her voice. "Are you alright?"

Hearing her mother's voice jolted Blake from her stupor. She faced the screen, her heartbeat increasing when she saw her own amber eyes reflected back at her. "I… yes, I… um…" Blake floundered for a response. When none came, she just blurted out the first thing come to mind. "W-Why are you calling here?"

Kali's ears dipped slightly, a frown marring her features. "Well, hello to you, too," she said, her tone carrying more confused curiosity than actual hurt.

Blake flinched at her mother's words, berating herself. Her first conversation with her mother in forever, and that was the first thing she said!? "I-I'm sorry!" Blake said, a bit louder than she'd intended, making Kali lean away from the screen a little. She winced again, forcing herself to be quieter. "Sorry, I didn't mean… I just wasn't expecting to talk to you…" She murmured, before hastily finishing, "... so soon."

All sense of curiosity had left Kali's face, leaving only motherly concern. "So soon? Sweetheart, your father and I haven't heard from you in almost a year. We were starting to worry that something had happened to you."

Blake had to fight not to flinch again, but she couldn't stop her ears from folding down. "I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Things have been a bit… complicated over here."

Kali's worried look let up slightly, her lips curving upwards into a small, almost sly smile. "I'll bet."

Blake's mind blanked on what to say next, the blood rushing in her ears being very distracting. Taking a deep, hopefully-calming breath, she willed her heartbeat to slow. "Can… Can we start again?" She asked softly. Praying that she could speak without stuttering, Blake tried to put on a smile of her own. "Hi, mom."

Kali's smile widened. "Hello, sweetheart. Are you doing okay?"

"Yes, I am," Blake answered instantly.

The second the words were out of her mouth, she realized… she really was. The realization was so surprising, Blake actually had to stop for a moment and make sure what she said was true. Her smile slowly became more genuine. "Actually… I'm doing pretty good right now. I mean… things are a little… _hectic_ right now, but… I'm happy."

Kali nodded, humming lightly in approval. "That's good to hear. Any particular reason why?"

Blake blinked. "Um…"

The smiling faces of three girls lept to the front of her mind, each framed with white, blond, and red-tipped black hair, respectfully.

Blake felt heat rise to her face. She was still processing that she was actually speaking to her mother. _That_ conversation could wait for later, if at all. "Things, um… things have just been going well." _Not a_ complete _lie_ , Blake thought to herself. Before White Fang rallies and stolen war mechs had gotten involved, the previous week had been her best one at Beacon yet.

From the subtle narrowing of Kali's eyes, however, it seemed her mother was expecting a different answer. "Are you sure?" She asked. To Blake's shock, the corner of Kali's smile tipped a little higher, becoming a knowing grin. "Nothing… _major_ happened lately, that might have put you in such a good mood?"

Blake had all of a second to wonder what her mother meant by that, when she saw Kali's golden eyes dart to her neck, her smile growing ever larger.

Blake's hand slapped over her Mark, hard enough to send a stinging pain up and down her neck. She was dimly aware that she couldn't feel her bow there anymore, but couldn't dwell on it due to her mind seizing up in pure panic.

"I-I-I…" Blake babbled, her face ablaze as she tried to remember how to talk. This was something she had no idea how to handle. She had spent a little time over the last week thinking on how she would explain being Mated to her parents, but those were far off fantasies, in a world where the Adam was defeated and the White Fang had returned to their former glory. She didn't really consider it something to worry about.

Now, as she failed to speak a single coherent word, she wished she had.

Thankfully, her babbling was cut off when Kali let out a small giggle. "Blake, relax. I'm not angry. That's why I've been trying to reach Beacon; I wanted to congratulate you."

Blake stopped, her mouth still partway open in surprise. She had a brief feeling of relief at her mother's words, before her mind latched onto something. "Congratulate…?" She murmured to herself in confusion. A ball of cold dread formed in her stomach as a thought hit her. "Wait, Mom, did… did you already know I was Mated?"

Kali's ears perked up at that, a bemused look crossing her face. She let out a small chuckle. "Of course I knew, sweetheart. Why wouldn't I?"

Blake's eyes widened in disbelief. "H-How? Did someone tell you?" Even as the words left her mouth, she knew they didn't make sense. Ozpin had said she'd been trying to reach Beacon all week, and that was-

Blake swallowed.

 _...when I first gave them the initial Marks._ Her mother had known since then? _How_ had her mother known since then?!

Her widened eyes were reflected by her mother's, the older Faunus leaning back in bafflement. "Tell me? Blake, no one had to tell me, I just…" She trailed off, a look of realization slowly overtaking her features, her ears pinning back in distress as she saw the growing look of confusion on her daughter's face. When she spoke, her voice was faint. "You… you really don't know?"

Letting her hand fall from her neck, Blake's ears folded back in worry. "Know… what?"

Kali sucked in a sharp breath, as if Blake's words had been a physical blow. "But… how could you not know?" Her voice rose as her distress grew with each word. "It's one of the most basic parts of…" Her pupils shrank as a thought hit her, looking at Blake with dread. "Blake… who taught you about how Mating worked?"

Blake stiffened, before looking off to the side. Her mother didn't know it, but Blake knew that was a loaded question, one that would likely lead to more unpleasant ones. Rubbing the back of her neck nervously, Blake admitted, "No one really taught me. I just kind of… pieced things together myself after a while."

Kali looked like she'd been slapped. "What? I know your father and I didn't get to explain much before you left, but I assumed… I thought for sure someone would have told you the details, at least before you left for Beacon. Didn't Adam-"

Blake flinched hard at her former friend's name, which her mother didn't miss.

"-or one of the older members… Blake?" Kali called in concern, watching as her daughter ducked her head, almost in shame. "Sweetheart, are you okay?"

The only reason Blake didn't shout a panicked lie was because of how hard she was biting her lip. She berated herself for the slip up, but she couldn't help it. The way Kali said Adam's name, like he was a friend, a mentor, someone to trust… just the thought made her stomach churn.

 _Don't ask,_ Blake thought desperately, hoping beyond hope that her mother would just let it drop. _Please don't ask. Please._

"...Blake?" Kali's voice came through the screen hesitantly, as if she was afraid of what her daughter might say. "Did something happen between you and Adam?"

Blake's shoulders hunched, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

She couldn't do this. She couldn't tell her mother about Adam or the White Fang, not right now. Not when she and her team had barely started looking into them. If her parents found out about what she'd done, while the White Fang was still in the twisted state Adam had made it… if they hated her...

Blake felt an overwhelming urge to just shut off the computer, to leave the conversation.

To run away.

Blake's balled her hands into fists, her dull nails digging into her palms.

 _No. No, I said I was done running,_ She thought with conviction, which died almost immediately. _...but what do I say? If I tell her about the White Fang… How I ruined all Dad's work. I don't… I can't…_

 **Calm.**

Blake's eyes shot open, a warm feeling washing over her, quickly followed by icy cold and an electric tingle.

 **Worry. Fright. Concern. Calm. Comfort.**

Blake took a deep breath, letting her Mates' emotions wrap around her. She wondered what her team thought was happening to her. She felt no panic from any of them, so they probably didn't think she was in danger, but her distress had been enough to worry them.

She sent back a quick feeling of thankfulness. If nothing else, they'd kept her from going into a full blown panic attack. Her mind a little clearer, Blake thought desperately on how to answer her mother, to convince her that everything was fine. If she could make her believe there was nothing wrong, it would buy Blake time to… to…

 _To what?_ Blake thought in despair, feeling like her insides were twisting into a knot. _Defeat Adam? Take down the entire White Fang, change them all back to how things used to be? That's so far away, I… I don't even know if I can do it._

She felt something inside her crack at the thought. She looked up at the screen, seeing her mother looking back, lost and concerned.

 _I don't want to lie to her_.

As words crossed her mind, Blake's heart skipped a beat.

Lying wasn't new to her. She'd lied many times in the White Fang. She'd lied to her headmaster, to the entire student body. She'd lied to her team, those she'd considered her most precious people, for months, letting them think that she was something she wasn't.

But now… with those warm amber eyes staring at her, so worried, almost helpless; The thought of lying to her mother, especially over something so important, seemed impossible. Something shattered inside her just thinking about it.

Blake took a moment, steeling herself. The more she thought about telling her mother, the more the idea burned inside her, begging her to do it. But something stopped her. Before she did this… completely upended her mother's world… she needed to know something. To hear her mother say something, just once.

With a pleading look in her eyes, Blake asked,

"Mom? You love me, right?"

Kali was taken aback, her ears standing up in shock. "What? Blake, what kind of question is that? Of course I love you."

But Blake just pursed her lips, looking even more distressed. "Even… even if I did something bad?"

Kali blinked, her face going slack as Blake's words sank in. "Blake…?"

Blake swallowed down the lump in her throat, taking a shuddering breath. "Like, really bad? L-Like… 'I might have ruined everything' bad?" Much as she tried to hold them back, tears started to trail down Blake's face. "Would you still love me then?"

Kali stared into Blake's tear-filled eyes, her mouth having dropped partway open in shock. Then she snapped it shut, her eyes gaining a hard edge to them. "Blake, you are my daughter. You are my entire world." She put a hand over her heart, her eyes softening. "It doesn't matter what you did or what you may do. I'll always love you, no matter what."

Blake was breathing deeply at this point, looking at her mother with hope in her eyes. She swallowed again, looking down. She took a deep, shuddering breath, and let it out slowly. She pursed her lips, like simply speaking had become painful. She slowly looked up, forcing herself to meet her mother's eyes. "I did something bad, Mom."

Kali just nodded, waiting for Blake to go on.

Blake took another shaky breath. "I did something really bad," She repeated, unable to keep the stutter out of her voice. Her voice cracked, her pitch getting higher. "A-And… and I don't know if I can fix it."

Kali nodded again. "I'm listening, Blake," She said, in a tone that promised nothing but support.

Blake hesitated, eyes darting away for a moment. "It's... it's kind of a long story."

Kali gave a patient smile. "I have time."

Blake stared at her for a moment, before looking down with a nod. She took a deep breath, and began. "I guess… It all started two years ago, at this protest near the SDC Vale headquarters…"

* * *

 **A/n: And thus, I officially tell the canon timeline to take a hike.**

 **Next Chapter: More Mother/Daughter time with the Belladonna's, Some RWBY cuddle time, and we check in on our favorite criminal duo.**


	34. Chapter 34: A Mother's Love

**Chapter 34: A Mother's Love**

 **Beacon Academy**

To the world at large, Professor Ozpin was a bit of an enigma. While friendly, he always had an air about him. A certain… aloofness. As if he had some understanding of the world that no one else could fathom. He was always calm and collected, the most negative emotion he showed being a grim look of disappointment. Even among the harshest criticisms, he never once showed anger. After almost two decades of being Headmaster, some believed him incapable of the emotion.

Only those closest to him knew differently. It wasn't that Ozpin couldn't feel anger. It just took something truly abhorrent to bring it about. And even then, only amongst those he trusted would he show it.

Unfortunately for him, James Ironwood was one of those people.

As Ozpin paced around his living quarters, a small pair of rooms resembling a simple apartment, he held his scroll in a vice-like grip. The only thing betraying his impassive expression was the raging fire in his eyes. He took a deep breath, trying to will away the anger building inside him. With a single tap on his scroll, he made the call.

The scroll rang twice, when a surprised voice came from the other end. "Oz?" Ironwood asked. "I didn't think you were speaking to me. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

The near hopeful tone in the General's voice lessened Ozpin's anger, if only for a moment. It quickly returned when he remembered what needed to be discussed. "I assure you, General, this is a call I didn't want to make, nor should I have ever had to." His voice was eerily calm, but strained. "James, what the hell have you done?"

"E-Excuse me?" Ironwood asked, genuinely confused.

With a tone not unlike a teacher reprimanding a misbehaved student, Ozpin tersely explained. "Not a half-hour ago, a student from Atlas Academy was brought to the infirmary by two Haven students, and later joined by my own Team RWBY. They all had minor injuries, with the exception of Miss Rose's broken leg, and the Atlas student being unconscious."

"O-kay…?" Ironwood said. "Sounds like a interschool spar that got out of hand. Why do you sound like you're about to rip my head off?"

With another calming breath, Ozpin explained. "Well, for starters, there was no spar. I assume you heard about the highway disturbance downtown this evening?"

Ironwood's voice hardened in an instant. "Yes, I did. One of my students was involved?"

"In a manner of speaking. I'll spare you the details for the moment, just that all the students involved retreated to Beacon's infirmary afterward. Why I'm calling has to do with what was discovered when a nurse examined your student."

There was a moment of silence for the other end of the scroll, and Ozpin felt a bit of grim satisfaction. Despite Ozpin's suspicions that he already knew the answer, Ironwood asked in a tight voice, "Oz, which of my students is it?"

Ozpin's tone was disturbingly calm. "I believe the other students said her name was Penny. I repeat, James: _what have you done_?"

Ironwood fell silent for a moment. When he spoke, it was clear that Ozpin was speaking, not to his friend James, but to General Ironwood. "I did what I felt was right."

Ozpin looked at his scroll in disbelief, some of his anger starting to bleed through. "'What was right?' Are you joking? James, we decided against this for a reason."

"No, Oz, _you_ decided against this, and just expected the rest of us to agree." Ironwood fired back, voicing his own frustrations. "I felt that the project had merit."

"Merit, yes," Ozpin agreed bregrudedly. "It had potential, but the moral implications, the risks-"

"-Have been seen to." Ironwood cut in. "Penny has gone through extensive testing. She's been trained by my own second-in-command, someone I know you trust."

"It's not a matter of trust, James!" Ozpin nearly yelled, just catching himself. He paused, forcing himself to calm, lest he interrupt the conversation in the next room. Closing his eyes, he sighed. "What exactly was your plan? Tell me after Penny tore through every competitor in the festival? Sneak down to Amber's chamber when I wasn't looking?"

There was a pause, giving Ozpin the feeling that he'd been right on the money. "I had to do _something_ , Oz." Ironwood eventually said. "You've been dragging your feet for years in finding a new Maiden. I found a solution."

Ozpin let out frustrated groan. "I have not been dragging my feet, James. I've been searching for the right candidate. We can't rush it."

"How is using Penny any different then you pulling some random girl off the street?"

"The difference is _choice_ , James. We need someone who is willing to accept Amber's powers and responsibility, even knowing the risks. Whoever we pick, it has to be her choice."

" _We may not have time for choice!_ "

Ozpin actually flinched at Ironwood's intensity. The General's words were shouted in desperation, almost pleading. It was enough to give Ozpin pause. After a moment's thought, he asked calmly. "What makes you say that, James?"

He listened to Ironwood taking deep, ragged breaths, likely trying to reign in his own temper. Once he was calm, he started. "They're moving, Oz. Not just the White Fang. Both in and out of Vale, we've seen supplies being moved all over, and the Grimm… they're acting strangely. I didn't bring my army to Vale for nothing, Oz. Something big is about to happen, and when it does, I don't want the Fall Maiden's power to be a sitting duck." He paused, then asked, "What if you run out of time, Oz? What are you going to do if you don't find the perfect candidate? Or if you do, but she chooses no? What are you going to do?"

Ozpin opened his mouth to reply, but then… stopped. As much as it pained him… he had no answer.

The room fell silent, both men waiting for the other to speak. It was Ironwood who broke the silence.

"Look, Oz… I'll call my second, have her here in Vale by tomorrow morning. How about, we come to collect Penny, and then… we discuss this. I'll give you everything I have on Penny. You can go over it all, ask us whatever you want, and then you can decide if she'd work as one of your candidates."

Ozpin considered his words. "What of Penny herself? Does she get a say in this? Can she say 'no' if she wants?" When his only answer was silence, he huffed. "Maybe you should consider that yourself, James." He hesitated, then sighed in resignation. "Be here at nine-thirty tomorrow."

"I'll be there." Ironwood's voice came out oddly, like he'd been startled from his thoughts. "Goodnight, Oz."

"Goodnight." The line went dead.

Ozpin stood there for a minute, mulling over Ironwood's words. With a groan, he made his way to the kitchen, towards the coffeepot. He wouldn't be sleeping anytime now.

Coffee cup in hand, Ozpin made his way back into his sitting room. As he tapped his scroll to call Glynda, he glanced towards the door to his office. Hopefully, his student's conversation was going better than his own had.

* * *

 **Menagerie, Belladonna Residence**

There were no words to describe the sickening horror Kali felt deep in her soul as she listened to her daughters retelling of the last year. Once Blake got started, it was like a broken dam, tales of Adam and what the White Fang had become flooding out of her, with no end in sight. And as she watched Blake's face throughout it all, Kali felt a part of her dying with every tear that fell from her daughter's eyes.

Blake left nothing out. From the first protest that Adam purposefully turned into a riot, she explained how the White Fang had gone from the peaceful organisation her husband had proudly built with his own two hands, into a pack of thieves and possible killers. Rioting, extortion, thievery on a massive scale; all manner of criminal action, all under the banner of freedom.

But for Kali, the worse part was hearing, from Blake's own mouth, how involved her baby girl was in it all. Training new recruits how to fight, how to sneak and steal. Standing at Adam's side during rallies, shouting support of his every word. Being the lookout, the distraction, the leader for dozens of crimes.

Throughout it all, Blake spoke in the same shaky, resigned voice. It was a tone Kali was familiar with, having heard it many times before from sitting in on Ghira's trials, from criminals that had been caught red-handed and had no choice but to confess their crimes. The only time her tone changed was when she spoke of Adam, her words either filling with regretful sorrow, or bitter anger.

And Kali listened to it, trying to keep the shock and terror from bleeding onto her face as her daughter poured her soul out. And the entire time, she felt a burning, roaring rage building inside her every time Blake said a single name.

Adam.

Kali felt sick. She remembered Adam when he was a boy, running around town with a wooden play sword, taking swipes at imaginary Grimm. She'd watched that boy grow into a young man, become a source of town pride as his sword skills increased. For a long time, he was Blake's only friend. He'd been invited into their house multiple times, had dinner with them weekly. Kali and Ghira had treated him like family, like a son.

They trusted him. With the White Fang, but more importantly, with their daughter's life.

And he'd used her.

Multiple times, Kali wanted to stop Blake, either for clarification or just so she could process something, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. As horrible things spilled from Blake's mouth, one after another, the shaking in her voice slowly started to fade, replaced with grim determination. It was taking so much for her little girl to keep talking, Kali was afraid to speak, fearing that if she stopped Blake, she couldn't bring herself to start up again.

It went on, Blake describing Adam's rapid descent from a noble activist to a power-hungry extremist. She covered raids, recruitments, riots, and more, all culminating with the theft of an SDC supply train.

 _He tried to Mate with my daughter._

Whatever shred of hope Kali held for Adam throughout Blake's retellings died in that instant. Before she'd run off to Vale, Kali had noticed Blake's crush on Adam, even before Blake had herself. But she'd thought nothing of it, attributing it as nothing more than a schoolyard crush, something Blake would grow out of. That hadn't stopped Ghira from taking matters into his own hands, taking Adam aside one day, letting him know _exactly_ how Ghira felt on the subject; How he was too old for her, to not let her believe something that wasn't there, to watch out for their daughter, so no one would take advantage of her.

He'd assured them that he felt nothing for her but friendship. He swore he would protect their daughter. He promised.

 _He lied._

Several times throughout Blake's story, Kali had to pry her hands off her husband's desk, slivers of oak embedded under her nails. Deep gouges were in the wood, the result of her trying to ball up her hands at the same time her cat's-claws extended.

After what felt like hours, Blake started to wind down. "... I just kept circling around the city, avoiding anything that even looked like it might White Fang related, until his Mark burned itself out. And… that's when I called you," Blake finally finished, her voice drained. "I needed a way to learn more, so I could stop Adam. Beacon seemed like my best option. I scraped together what money I could, applied for entry, and... that's it."

Blake looked down as she finished, and a silence like no other settled around them. Kali sat in her husband's study, staring at his computer monitor with wide eyes. Her thoughts were a tangled mess, unable to believe that the little girl who would hold her hand on market trips had been through an ordinal people twice her age couldn't even imagine. Her eyes drifted upwards, staring at nothing as she tried to process everything.

"...Mom?" A small voice came through computer's speakers. Kali looked back at the screen, and her heart broke as Blake stared back, tears sliding down her cheeks. "Mom, please say something," She begged, her voice tight and desperate.

Kali's ears folded down, a guilty look flashing across her face. Her mouth opened to speak, twice, but no words came out. She worked her jaw, trying to say something, anything, but she just couldn't. With a heavy sigh, Kali leaned back in her husband's chair, feeling like someone had ripped her soul out. She rubbed at her temples, trying to ward off the coming headache. "Sweetheart…" She finally managed to say, feeling no less lost. "Oh, Blake… what do I even say?"

Blake broke her gaze, looking down in shame. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Mom. I just… I just wanted to help. I thought we were doing the right thing, and Adam made it sound like… I should have known, should have stopped him before-"

"Blake, stop." Kali held up her hand, as if warding off Blake's panicked explanations before she could start. "I just…" She shook her head, looking down in despair. "I just can't believe this. Adam seemed like such a nice boy. I never could have imagined he could… for him to…"

"He was nice, Mom," Blake murmured, guilt in her every word. "A long time ago. Something inside him… changed."

Kali's eyes blazed as she turned back to the screen. "That's no excuse. We trusted him to keep you safe and he…" Kali cut herself off before she could finish. She could feel it building, an onslaught of rage on the tip of her tongue, ready to spill out, but Blake deserved none of it. Kali took several long, slow breaths, forcing her anger out with each one. Her ears fell against her head, the lack of righteous anger leaving her drained. Mustering up the effort, she muttered, "Your father's going to be furious."

Blake winced, shame flashing across her face. This was not lost on Kali, who narrowed her eyes. She could guess Blake's discomfort. "Blake," she started quietly, keeping her voice level. "You know I have to tell him."

A scared whimper escaped Blake's lips, a light mewing sound that Kali hadn't heard from her since she was a child. "I know." She murmured brokenly.

Kali watched as her daughter shrinked in on herself, hugging herself tightly. Somehow, mentioning Ghira had made Blake worried and… frightened? "Blake? Sweetheart, what is it?"

It took everything Blake had to meet her mother's gaze. With a shaky breath, she asked, "Is he going to hate me?"

Kali felt her battered heart shatter, her mouth falling open as her ears flattened. _Blake thinks…? She thinks her own father will…?_

Kali tried to respond, but Blake steamrolled right over her, dropping her eyes as she fell to her fear. "Adam and I… we ruined everything. The White Fang, our progress… everything Dad worked towards… it's all gone. I could have stopped it, but I didn't. I helped make things worse…"

That was all Kali could take. With every word Blake said, she could see the weight of the world beating down on her daughter's shoulders. Her baby was being crushed by her own guilt, and Kali acted without thinking.

As Blake continued heaping more and more blame upon herself, Kali closed her eyes. What she was about to try was normally impossible, but with having Blake's face right in front of her, her voice ringing in her ears, Kali felt like it was the simplest thing. She flared her aura, focusing on Blake's voice.

* * *

 **Beacon Academy**

"I wouldn't blame him if he did. Sometimes I hate my-"

Blake stopped mid word, her eyes widening in shock.

 _Calm. Sadness. Heartbreak. Sympathy. Reassurance. Love_.

She… felt something. For a moment, she thought one of her Mates was reaching out for her, but this was different. It wasn't like when their emotions came to her. It felt like they were coming… from within her.

Blake looked up at the screen, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. "Mom?" She called breathlessly.

Kali slowly opened her eyes, a soft smile on her lips. The phantom feelings Blake felt lessened, but only slightly. "I'm here, Blake." There was a sense of double meaning in her voice that Blake couldn't quite grasp.

"H-How…?"

Kali's smile widened a bit, growing sly. "I'll explain in a moment. But first, I need to tell you something," Her lips fell into a grim line.

Blake's ears pinned back. Icy dread filled her veins as she prepared herself for her mother's harsh words. "W-What?"

Kali leaned forward, so that her face filled up the screen. "Blake, I have only one thing to say to you," Her golden eyes bored into Blake's, making the younger Faunus cringe a bit. Kali took a deep breath, letting out slowly through her nose.

"This is not your fault."

For a few moments, the only sound in the room was the soft hum coming from Professor Ozpin's computers.

Blake stared at the screen, her ears twitching violently. She blinked rapidly, suddenly feeling lightheaded. "Wha… what?" She breathed, sure she had misheard.

Kali just leaned in further, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Blake, if there is only one thing you ever believe from me, let it be this: None of this is your fault."

Blake stared at her as if she'd spoken another language. She worked her mouth uselessly, struggling to form words. "You.. I… but, wha… No!" Her ears splayed back, her eyes wide. "I...I ruined Dad's work! I wrecked-"

"Blake Belladonna, you listen to me."

Blake's mouth snapped shut as she flinched. _That_ was a tone of voice she hadn't heard in years, not directed at her, at least. Kali stared at her daughter with a look that could only be described as a mother's glare. When she spoke, it was with a finality that the world itself would hesitate to challenge.

" _This is not your fault._ Yes, you've broken laws. You contributed to…" Kali took a shuddering breath, forcing the words out. "Something horrible. But I do. Not. Blame you."

Blake could only stare, her jaw still trembling to say words her mind was unable to create. She just looked at her mother with wide eyes, with an awe that was almost childlike.

"You followed someone you thought you could trust. Someone your father and I _told_ you to trust. The moment you realized what was wrong, you got out of there. Better yet, you took steps to atone for your mistakes, of your own volition. That is far beyond what many would do." Kali's grim visage softened, a sad smile forming. "You did everything right. If anyone's to blame, it's your father and I."

At that, Blake finally found her words. Her ears stood on end, her eyes bulging in disbelief. "What!? Mom, no, that's-!"

"Yes, Blake," Kali countered forcefully, cutting Blake off. "It is. We told you to trust Adam." Her voice lowered as she said the name, holding back a growl. "We thought he was trustworthy. We put you in his care. We believed him when he said he'd take care of you. He-"

Kali had to stopped herself, or else her voice would push over into screaming. She closed her slitted eyes, taking long, deep breaths. Blake looked on, concern and confusion in her eyes.

Once her breathing evened out, Kali opened her eyes. Blake nearly flinched back under her gaze, never having seen such intensity in her mother's eyes, burning like twin suns. "Here's what we're going to do," She said, in a tone that left no room for argument. "I'm going to discuss this with your father. I'm going to tell him everything you've told me. We'll find out who we can trust, and then we'll work on finding a way to solve this." Kali gave Blake a soft, motherly smile, one that promised unending support. "You're not alone in this, sweetheart."

Blake couldn't think. She felt like the floor had been ripped out from under her, and she was left hanging in the air, to be blown away in the wind at any moment. "Y-You don't hate me?" She murmured, her voice hopeful, yet still full of doubt.

Kali let out a helpless sigh, lifting a hand as if to reach through the computer screen and cup her daughter's cheek. Blake sounded so small, so broken. All Kali could do was focus, and speak from her heart. "No, Blake. Nothing could _ever_ make me hate you."

Again, Blake took a shuddering, startled breath as new feelings rose to the surface, as if coming from her own heart.

 _Reassurance. Resolution. Love._

"A-And… and Dad?" She asked, the hope in her voice growing.

Kali just shook her head, smiling softly. "Never in a million years. I swear it."

Blake stared at her mother, unable to see, or apparently, sense, any kind of lie or falsehood in her mother's words. In Kali's eyes, she found nothing but warmth and love.

She took a deep breath.

Then another.

Before she could stop them, large, wide tears started rolling down Blake's cheeks. Her breathing devolved into heaving sobs. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, closing her eyes shut to try and stop the flow of tears, but to no avail. The Link suddenly flared to life, bombarding her with warm, cool, tingling feelings of concern and comfort. And on top of the emotions from her Mates several floors below, the strange, warm emotions from within her kept coming, leaving her between a flood of emotions.

"That's it, sweetheart." Kali soothed, her eyes having slid shut again. "Just let it all out."

And Blake did just that.

* * *

It took Blake almost ten minutes to bring her tears to an end. Her sobs slowly eased into small whimpers, her breaths becoming less shaky. She wiped at her cheeks with the sleeve of her jacket.

"Feeling better, baby girl?" Kali asked, smiling sadly from the monitor.

Blake sniffed, wiping at her nose. She managed a weak smile as she looked up. "Y-Yeah... a little." A wave of relief washed over her, again, not from the Link with her Mates. As she tried to slow her breathing, Blake couldn't help but ask. "Mom, how… are these your emotions I'm feeling?"

Kali's smile faded a bit as she nodded. "Yes, they are, sweetheart."

"But… how? I thought that only Mates could sense each other's emotions?"

Kali let out a deep sigh. "That's true, for the most part." She growled to herself. "You should have been taught this… _I_ should have taught you this years ago. Blake, you at least know that you can sense your Mate's emotions through your aura, right?"

Blake nodded, brushing away the last of her tears.

"Well, where did your aura come from?"

Blake blinked at that. She thought back to her classes and her reading, trying to remember if that had been covered in the past months. Her eyes slowly widened. "From… you and Dad."

Kali smiled gently. "That's right. Now, your aura has grown, it's changed and shifted over the years, just as you have. But it still has that spark, the same one it had when I held you in my arms for the first time."

"And… you can feel my emotions through that spark?" Blake ask, her face going slack in shock. "All the way from Menagerie?"

Kali made a contemplating hum at the back of her throat. "Not exactly. I could only do it this time because I can see you right now. If I tried it just out of the blue, I doubt I could, not from halfway across the world."

Blake nodded absently. "But, if we were near each other?"

"I could, but not like you're thinking." At Blake's confused look, Kali explained. "With your Mates, you can feel their emotions all the time, right? Well, unlike with Mates, the bond between parent and child is voluntary, and can be blocked by either party at any time. "

Blake's eyes widened in surprise. "I never knew that."

Kali let out a sad, sigh, sympathy and guilt in her eyes. "I'm afraid there may be a lot you don't know." She took a deep breath, smiling motherly. "Now… I think that's enough of this… _horribleness_ for one night. Let's get to why I called in the first place."

Blake blinked at the subject change, then blushed when she saw her mother's smile grow. She looked away from the screen, ducking her head shyly.

Kali couldn't help but laugh at her daughter's reaction. "Oh, sweetheart, don't be embarrassed! This is a good thing! I've been wanting to talk to you about this all week."

That reminded Blake of something. "I wanted to ask about that. We only became true Mates yesterday. Why were you trying to reach me a week ago?"

Kali hesitated, the sighed in resignation. "Something else you should already know… well, Blake, the reason I've been trying to call was because of this."

Blake watched as Kali turned her head, craning her neck so Blake could see the intricate design on it: a wide silver shield with a black center, flowing lines of gold weaving throughout its form. At it's center sat a golden five-petaled flower.

"Your Mark?" Blake questioned.

Kali grinned, facing forward. "When a Faunus connects their soul to another person, anyone with a Mark in their family will feel it. A week ago, your father and I were sitting down for breakfast, when our Marks started to warm. I was hoping to speak with you about it before now, but we've been getting bad storms here all week. Today was the first time I've seen the sun in days."

"Oh," Blake breathed in awe. Then a ball of ice formed in her stomach, a sickening thought hitting her. "Wait. If you can feel when I Mate someone, what about… Adam?"

In an instant, Kali's eyes hardened. "Yes, Blake, we felt it then, too. I wanted to call you, but we'd just had a pack of Deathstalkers rampage through town the day before. They destroyed most of the buildings on the east end, including the communications tower."

Blake winced at that. Menagerie was a beautiful country, but it housed some of Remnants deadliest Grimm, with most species growing larger than anywhere else in the world. Deathstalkers were some of the most common, but only attacked populated areas when in large numbers. "Why didn't you say something when I called?" She couldn't help but ask.

Kali's shoulders slumped, her ears wilting. "I wanted to, but… when you called and I saw you didn't have a Mark, we thought your Mating just hadn't gone well, and you left the White Fang to get away from whoever it was. When you called, you were trying so hard sound normal. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't want to push. I thought you were just dealing with a broken heart."

Despite the pain in her chest at the memory, Blake snorted lightly. "Well… you weren't exactly wrong…"

Kali shot her a reprimanding look, finding no humor in the situation. "Yes, well… that's partly why I wanted to speak to you. I was worried when you gave someone else a Mark so soon after rejecting one." Her smile came back in full force. "But then I felt you finalize the Mark. I just had to know who it was that fell for my little girl."

The joy in her mother's voice made Blake smile, only to have it fall in dread. She wasn't prepared for this. Her Mating was about as unconventional as possible, from how it started to who and what her Mate's were. She had now idea how her mother would react to the nature of her relationship.

Kali noticed Blake's uncertainty. "What now, Blake?"

Blake hesitated, biting her lip. "Nothing, I just… I'm not sure if you'd approve of who my Mates are."

Kali blinked, surprise in her eyes. "Mates? Plural?"

Blake flinched, berating herself. She hadn't meant to say that. "Is that… bad?"

The surprise faded quickly, Kali shaking her head slightly. "No! No, no, there's nothing wrong with it, Sweetheart. I just wasn't expecting that. There's never been a group Mating in our family before, at least not on my side. I'll have to ask your father about his later." She smiled brightly, excitement dancing in her eyes. "Well, tell me about them! Who are they?"

Again, Blake bit her lip, trying to think of how best to approach this. "Well… they're not the most… conventional choices for Mates."

At that, Kali slumped a little in her chair. Though she tried to hide it, a bit of exasperation slipped into her tone. "Blake, at this point, I'd be surprised if they were." She let out a sigh, straightening up as she looked Blake in the eye. "Tell me something: Are they good people?"

"Yes," Blake answered instantly, not even having to think about it.

"Do you all love each other?"

"Yes."

"Do they make you happy?"

"Yes."

Kali gained the largest smile she'd had since they're talk started. "Then, whoever they are, _whatever_ they are, I'm sure I'll love them. Now, stop leaving your poor mother in suspense," She teased, in a mocking version of her motherly tone. "Out with it."

Blake gave a small giggle, feeling her tension ease slightly. "Okay, um… well, there's three of them," She started, testing the waters. "And they're all female."

Kali's eyebrows rose a little, but she made no comment. She nodded encouragingly, waiting for Blake to go on.

Blake took a breath, knowing her mother would find something odd with her next words. "...and… they're all human."

At that, Kali's face went a little slack as she blinked rapidly. "O-Okay…" She droned uncertainly.

Blake's ears wilted a bit in apprehension. "You… don't approve?"

Kali opened her mouth once, then closed it with small hum, looking thoughtful. "It's not that I don't approve, sweetheart," She soon assured. "I'm just confused. If they're all human, how could they give you a Mark?"

Blake let out a sigh of relief. She knew her mother wasn't a very prejudicial person, but she had still worried about how she'd react to none of her potential daughter-in-laws being Faunus. "I told my Mates that, with them being human, my connection to them would be weakened. They… didn't think that was fair." She smiled at the memory, remembering how she felt when Weiss pulled out that book. "One of them did some research, and found a way to repurpose my old Mark from Adam into a new one using their aura."

Kali's eyes widened in awe. "And it worked? Blake, that's incredible! I've never hear of such a thing. Your Mate must be rather resourceful to think of such an idea."

Blake blushed a little, smiling with pride at her mother complementing Weiss. "Yeah, she's pretty smart. Top of our year, actually."

Kali's cat-ears perked up, having finally heard an actual detail about her daughter's new loves. "Is she? That's impressive. Come now, Blake, please stop being vague. Tell me about these girls. What makes them special to you?"

Blake took a moment, thinking of how best to describe her Mates. There was a sinking feeling in pit of her stomach at how she'd explain her affection to a certain white-haired heiress, but she pushed it aside. She'd have to deal with it soon enough, but first…

"Well, funnily enough, all three of them are members of our team here at Beacon. First there's Ruby, our team leader. She's a couple years younger than me, but she's one of the most talented people here. She has so much energy, it feels like the world brightens a bit just because she's in the room. She's always smiling, always willing to help; even before I thought about us being Mates, just being near her made me put me in a good mood. She's… so understanding. She doesn't care about who or what someone is. She just wants to make everyone happy."

Kali beamed at Blake's tone. A soft smile had formed on Blake's lips as she spoke, one that spoke volumes about how she felt for this girl.

"Then there's Yang, Ruby's sister."

It took a moment for what Blake said to really sink in. Kali's eyes suddenly widened, her ears shooting straight up. "Um, Blake? If they're sisters, did they-?"

"They have a siblings pact!" Blake shouted, throwing her hands up in defense as her cheeks tinted. "I knew that much!"

Kali let out a deep breath, her ears sagging in relief. "Oh, thank the gods. Otherwise, we'd be having a _very_ different talk right now."

Blake let out an awkward laugh, beating down her blush. "Yeah, it was an… interesting conversation when I explained the concept to them." She cleared her throat slightly. "Anyways… Yang is Ruby's older sister, and my team partner. She's… I guess the best word is boisterous. She always tries to liven things up, making jokes or dragging me and… my other Mate off to do something she thinks we'll enjoy. She's almost as energetic as Ruby, except she has a bit of a joking side when she shows it."

Kali hummed at that. "She sounds like the life of the party."

Blake nodded slightly, the same soft smile sliding into place. "Yeah, but… she has a softer side to her, too. I love them all, but Yang was the first one that gave me the feeling that, no matter what happened, she'd support me through anything. She… helped me learn to trust again."

Kali's ears dipped a little. The fact that Blake had to relearn how to trust made her soul ache, as well as add fuel to the fury burning inside her towards Adam Taurus. Still, her heart warmed that Blake had found someone truly loyal. "They both sound lovely. What about your third Mate? What's she like?"

"Um…" Blake hesitated, unsure how to proceed. "She's… um…"

"What?" Kali frowned in concern. "Is there something wrong with your Mate?"

"No, nothing's wrong with her," Blake quickly assured. "I'm just a little worried about how you'll react to who she is."

Kali tilted her head a bit, perplexed. "Blake, what do you mean by that? I told you I'd love whoever she is."

"I know," Blake agreed, apprehension still clear on her face. "But…" She sighed, aggravated with herself. "She might be pushing the limit on that."

Kali frowned deeply, her confusion growing. "Blake, please. Stop acting like you already know how I'll react. Let me decide if I like your Mate or not. Now, will you tell me who she is?"

Blake bit her lip, her eyes darting down for a moment. "It… might be easier to show you… Mom, can you see my Mark?"

Kali blinked at the change of subject. "Um…not fully. It's a bit far on your neck for me to see."

Blake let out a breath. "Well, take a look at it. It'll probably explain things better than I can." She then turned her head to the right, showing the side of her neck.

Kali had no idea where Blake was going with this, but she leaned towards the screen eagerly. She'd been curious about it since she'd first called.

The first thing she noticed was how colorful it was. All four colors were bright and vibrant, showing beautifully against Blake's skin. She took note of her daughter's flower symbol at the center, connected to each symbol by lines of color. A bright red rose, sitting beside an odd yellow symbol. A flame, maybe? And at the very top of it, a blue…

…

Kali blinked.

…

She blinked again. Rapidly.

"... Blake?"

Blake cringed at her mother's apprehensive tone. "Yes, Mom?"

"On your Mark… that blue… snowflake… is… is it-?"

What felt like a rock settled in Blake's stomach, a resigned sigh escaping her lips. "It's the SDC logo, Mom."

The only emotion that showed on Kali's face was pure shock. "Blake… who…?"

Blake steeled herself, turning back forward and forcing herself to hold her mother's wide eyes. "Weiss Schnee, Mom. She's Ruby's partner on my team… and she's my Mate."

Kali tried to speak once, twice, but now words came out. She eventually just sat back in her husband's chair, rubbing her temple. "Blake…" She sighed heavily. Then she leaned forward, fixing Blake with a stare that made her sit up straighter. "Start from the beginning. How did you meet her?"

* * *

Blake's retelling was mercifully short compared to the previous one. She covered her initial meeting of each of her future Mates, how they interacted in and between classes, and quickly glossed over some altercation with the White Fang at the docks. Kali would have asked for details on that, but frankly, after hearing about the torment she'd gone through the last three years, listening to Blake speak about something as normal as piles of schoolwork and long winded teachers was a welcome change.

Through it all, Kali's heart swelled at all the little details Blake let slip, from happy conversations with Ruby, to groaning good-naturedly at Yang's bad jokes. Even before becoming Mates, it was clear to her that each of these girls had secured a place in Blake's heart. However, it was listening to Blake speak of her third Mate that brought her pause.

Weiss Schnee. The name rattled around in Kali's head, like a tumbling stone that refused to settle. If it wasn't for the name, Kali would have no issue with the girl Blake described. A strong-willed girl, from a very strict upbringing. Someone who strived to be the best at everything she did, but slowly realised that to do so, she had to accept help from those around her. Someone who, when proven wrong about something, strove to learn everything about the subject as possible, so as not to be misinformed again. Someone who accepted her daughter for what she is, despite having been raised not too.

The girl Blake described was flawed, troubled, but had an awkward sweet side and a strength all her own. She had a thirst for knowledge, and a desire to make her own conclusions. Kali would think her perfect.

If not for the name.

As Blake fell silent, Kali stared up at the ceiling, trying to sort her jumbled thoughts. Her heart was telling her to be happy; after all the pain and heartache Blake had gone through, she had managed to find three wonderful girls that seemed to love her just as much as she loved them. It was more than she could have ever hoped for. But then her mind kicked in, and all manner of troubling thoughts materialized.

From the other side of the screen, she heard Blake give a sad sigh. "Mom, are you mad? That I Mated Weiss?"

Kali let out a small huff, locking eyes with her daughter. "I'm not mad, Blake, I just… I don't really know what to think. The Schnee's aren't exactly popular here in Menagerie."

Blake folded her ears back. "I know that. I've already met someone here at Beacon who had a rather blunt opinion about Weiss and I's relationship. Though from what I've seen, it's not the whole family that's the problem," Her ears perked up bit. "Just Weiss' father."

Kali had to bite back a growl at the man's mention. "Yes, well… I can believe _that_ ," She admitted, folding her hands on the table. "Your father has had the _pleasure_ of meeting him a few times over the years and… well, let's just say he had some words about the man that I'm not comfortable repeating."

Blake cracked a small smile at that. She remembered a few times when she was little, listening from the crack under her bedroom door when her parents thought she was asleep. She'd heard her father say many things when he came home from a bad meeting, venting to her mother as he said things that could best be described as 'colorful.' "If it helps, Weiss isn't his biggest fan either."

Kali raised an inquisitive brow. "Oh?"

Blake nodded. She hesitated for a moment, unsure how much she should tell her mother, but decided that if there was one person she, and by extension Weiss, could trust, it was Kali Belladonna. With a heavy breath, she explained, "Weiss has to watch herself whenever she speak with him. She can't say what she wants, just what she knows he wants to hear. She… She's worried she might become just like her father." Blake shook her head, the words tasting foul on her tongue. "Mom… I think Weiss is scared of him."

Kali's eyes grew huge. Of all the things she'd expected Blake to say, that was not one of them. She'd already thought lowly of the Schnee patriarch, but if his own child was afraid of him…

Without meaning to, a low growl formed in the back of her throat. She stopped it quickly, surprised with herself. It was rare that she made that sound, usually only when she felt someone was threatening her family.

…

 _Oh._

From across the screen, she saw Blake give her a startled look, a spark of hope in her eyes.

Kali heaved a great sigh. "Alright, Blake. I'll hold my judgment until I can meet her myself. But, if Weiss is anything like you've said…" She gave Blake a warm smile. "I'm sure I'll love her."

The apprehension Kali still felt melted away when she saw Blake _beam_. "I know you will, Mom. She's amazing. They're _all_ amazing."

Kali chuckled a bit. "Of that, I have no doubt. And I'm sure your father will agree."

"I hope so." Blake smiled, then tilted her head in thought. "Where is he, anyway?"

"Oh, he's helping organize the clean up in one of the towns down the coast. The storm hit them harder than us here, and your father was worried the Grimm might take advantage of the confusion. He should be back sometime tomorrow."

Blake smiled, her heart swelling with familiar pride. Then she in breathed deeply. "And... when he does…?"

Kali gave a slow nod. "I'll tell him everything you told me. We'll figure this out, sweetheart." She gave a kind, yet determined smile. "I promise."

Blake smiled back. Her grin was a little fragile, but for the first time in a year, Blake felt like everything would be okay.

 _Ding!_

Blake jumped slightly as an electronic chime cut through the silence. She looked over the monitor, seeing the elevator door slide open. To her surprise, Professor Goodwitch walked into the room, looking at her scroll held in one hand while she clutched a stack of paperwork against her chest with the other.

Goodwitch walked a few paces into the room without looking away from her scroll. She looked up, words half-formed on her lips, only to for her mouth to click shut in surprise.

"Miss Belladonna?" She asked, her brow raising in confusion. "What are you doing here? And… why are you at the Headmaster's desk?"

Blake wilted under Goodwitch's scrutinizing gaze, her ears dipping. Despite knowing she hadn't done anything wrong, she still got a feeling of having been caught red-handed.

"Um…"

"It's my fault, Glynda."

All eyes snapped to the side of the room as Ozpin stepped through the door, a wry grin on his lips, coffee mug in hand. "I allowed her to use my personal terminal for a familial call, and it seems I lost track of time."

Blake blinked at that. She glanced down back at the monitor, catching her mother's concerned eye, then looked at the time clock the corner of the screen. It was after midnight.

"Sorry, Sir," Blake apologized, pinking slightly. "I didn't realize-"

Ozpin just held up a hand. "It's quite alright. I'm sure you and your mother had much to discuss. However, I'm afraid that it is quite far past curfew."

Blake's face fell, her ears dipping in disappointment. "Yes, Sir." She turned back to the screen. "Mom…"

Kali gave her a reassuring smile. "I heard. It's rather late where I am as well. Before you go, do you still have your father and I's number?"

"Um…" Blake hesitated, remembering the fried scroll in her pocket. "I think so..."

"Then I hope you'll start using it more often. Maybe even let me speak to one of these girls you're so fond of."

Blake was surprised, then a small smile slowly formed on her lips. "I'd like that."

"Then I'll talk to you soon, sweetheart. I love you."

Feeling her eyes water a bit, Blake smiled back. "I love you too, Mom."

Kali gave her one last smile, then the screen went dark.

Blake stared at the blank monitor, her own happy expression reflected back at her. She let out a shaky breath, then remembered she wasn't alone. Standing up from the chair, she sent Ozpin a smile. "Thank you, Professor."

Ozpin grinned back. "It was no problem, Miss Belladonna. I'm always happy to assist my students. Enjoy the rest of your weekend."

Recognizing the kind dismissal for what it was, Blake went to the elevator, giving Goodwitch a respectful nod, which was returned. As the doors slid shut, she caught a brief glimpse of Ozpin taking his place behind his desk, as Goodwitch started setting down dossiers.

Once she was alone in the elevator, Blake closed her eyes, leaning against the back wall. With no distractions, she let her Mates' emotions wash over her.

 _Worry. Concern. Curiosity. Confusion._

Blake tried to respond, but all she could do was repeatedly think _I'm okay, everything's okay,_ and be completely amazed that she _meant it._ It didn't abate her Mates' confusion, but it did calm them down.

The elevator dinged at her floor, and Blake made the trek down the darkened hallways in a daze. When she reached her dorm and opened the door, she was met with a heartwarming sight.

Yang was sitting on Blake's bunk, leaning against the wall. Weiss was laying next to her, resting her head in Yang's lap as the blonde ran her fingers through Weiss' long white hair. They had both showered and changed into their sleepwear, Yang's hair still damp. Both had worried expressions on their faces.

When the door opened, Weiss quickly sat up, turning to face it. Yang instantly jumped up, rushing to meet Blake, grasping the Faunus' upper arms.

"Blake, what the hell!? Are you okay?"

Blake looked between her Mates, Yang holding her tightly, while Weiss came up behind her, the same question in her eyes. She sucked in a shuddering breath, startling her Mates with the largest smile they'd ever seen from her.

"I'm fine, Yang." Blake was aware of the slight shake in her voice, but couldn't even try to stop it. "In fact… I feel better then I have in a long time."

Surprised, Yang's grip loosened, just strong enough to for her arms to hang limply from Blake's. Weiss came up and placed a hand on Blake's shoulder, looking concerned. "Are you sure? You felt… _conflicted_ , before."

"Uh, 'conflicted' nothing." Yang scoffed, ignoring Weiss' stern look for her lack of tact. "Blake, you kept bouncing between the-world-is-ending scared and… I don't even know what! Happy, sad, pissed-beyond-belief; you were kind of all over the place. Freaked us out a bit."

"A lot." Weiss corrected, shooting Blake a firm look.

Blake just smiled, appreciating their concern. "Sorry. I just… wasn't really prepared for…" She took a deep breath, steadying herself. "Professor Ozpin took me to his office because her received a call. From _Menagerie_." The twin looks of shock she received got a watery giggle from her. "Yeah. That's about how I felt. It was my mother."

 _Shock. Disbelief. Worry._

Blake nodded, acknowledging their feelings. "I.. I told her everything." More shock, more worry. Blake just shook her head, feeling tears trailing down her face. "About Adam, what I did in the White Fang… Mating you three." Her breathing grew choppy. "Everything. And…"

"And…?" Yang griped her tighter, Weiss taking a light step closer.

"...she doesn't hate me." Yang and Weiss felt their faces go slack as Blake shuddered out the words. "I-I told her e-everything, and… s-she doesn't h-hate me. She… s-she still loves me."

"Oh, Blake." Yang pulled her into a fierce hug, a relieved laugh bursting from her lips. "That's great!"

Blake just cried into her shoulder, sobs of relief and happiness racking her body. She felt Weiss circle around behind her, softly closing the forgotten door, then embracing Blake from behind. Blake could feel the relief radiating off of her, along with happiness and hope.

Blake didn't know how long they stayed like that. Eventually, Blake calmed down enough to change out of her ruined outfit and take a shower. As she watched the dirt and grime spiral down the drain, she felt exhausted from the day's events, both physically and emotionally.

When she came out of the bathroom, she found Yang and Weiss sitting back on her bed, talking quietly with each other. They both looked up at her, then nodded to each other. Weiss got up, pulling her towards the bed as Yang pressed herself as far back as she could go. Blake suddenly found herself laying on her back, squished between Yang and Weiss as they laid on each side of her. Weiss took her hand in her own, resting her head on Blake's shoulder. Yang did the same, clasping Blake's other hand, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Just before they drifted off to sleep, they all felt a tingling sense of _Tiredness, Curiosity, Concern, Loneliness._

Yang let out a tired chuckle. "Guess Ruby woke back up."

Blake didn't bother saying anything, closing her eyes and seeing only a dark void. She turned her head, seeing the yellow and white glow beside her, then tilted her head down. A wispy red body laid below them, one of it's legs lifted slightly higher than the other. Blake met it's glowing silver eyes.

 _I'm fine, Ruby,_ Blake thought, feeling a tired smile from on her lips. She imagined Ruby was right next to her, letting her cup the younger girl's cheek. _I feel better then I have in years. Thank you for worrying._

The red figure nodded, giving off a feeling of _Happiness, Relief, Tiredness,_ before its silver eyes drifted shut. Within seconds, it's red glow dimmed.

A soft snore sounded in Blake's ear. She opened her eyes, finding that Yang and Weiss had seemed to drift off along with Ruby. Feeling a slight pressure, she looked down. She smiled. Yang and Weiss' free hand's had found each other, resting on her stomach.

A deep purr started in the back of Blake's throat, filling the quiet dorm. Feeling more content than she ever had, Blake joined her Mates in sleep.

* * *

 **A/n: Ughhhh! Why are these chapters getting longer!? I swear, they don't feel like they're that long as I write them, but then I check and, surprise! 9000 words! I want to go back to the short slice-of-life stuff. ;_; Maybe in the next few chapters…**

 **I saw someone on Reddit say that this story is like RWBY crossed with the intimate connection of a Steven Universe fusion, minus the actual fusing part. That was nowhere near the intent when i started this fic, but now that it's been pointed out… I can't unsee it. They're kind of right. ^_^**

 **Our check in with Roman and Neo has been postponed due to this chapter being TOO FREAKING LONG! Since that interaction is supposed to happen this same night, I might make it a mini-chapter like I did WAY back with chapter 16. Hopefully that means I can have it out real quick. Fingers crossed!**

 **Later!**


	35. Chapter 35: Smoulder

**Chapter 35: Smoulder**

 **Downtown Vale**

Far from the quiet peace of Beacon Academy, flashing lights of red and blue lit up the darkened streets of Vale. Police cars had blocked off a large section of the main freeway, only moving to let a near constant stream of ambulances passed. Destroyed vehicles of various makes and models littered wide road, some of which were burning in the moonlight. Below the freeway, a platoon of Atlas soldiers surrounded the twisted remains of a prototype Paladin warmech, gawking at both the many modifications made to it, as well as the extensive damage it had suffered.

Even with the late hour, civilians all around the city gathered as close as they could to the carnage, trying get an idea of exactly what had happened.

From within a rundown apartment a mile away, however, two people ignored the lights and sirens, both already knowing exactly what had happened. And one of them was suffering for it.

"Watch it, watch- oww, _OWW_! Dammit, I just said- gah!"

Neo rolled her eyes, ignoring Roman's moaning as she dabbed at his split scalp with an alcohol soaked cloth.

Roman groaned, his eyes darting around the room as he tried to ignore the sharp stinging across his hairline. The benefit of knowing a guy who knows a guy meant that he always had a safehouse within a few blocks of anywhere in Vale. The downside was that those safehouses tended to be complete crap.

The apartment Neo had taken them to was one of the nicer ones, though that term was used loosely. It consisted of all of three rooms; a bedroom, a bathroom, and a living room with a kitchenette crammed in the corner. The paint of the pale green walls was peeling, and the carpet was a shade of brown that had likely started life grey. What passed for furniture consisted of a rickety coffee table, a busted recliner, and the lumpy couch Roman was currently laid up on, shirtless.

As Neo swapped the cloth for a roll of bandages, Roman glanced at the table. At it's center sat a black metal box, covered in scorch marks and frayed wires. A thin cord connected it to his scroll, the device's screen filled with a multitude of data, all scrolling passed faster than anyone could read.

 _Least I managed to grab the box,_ Roman thought wryly _. I'm lucky it didn't get smashed when Sunshine… yeesh..._

Roman moaned, this time due to the bruises covering every inch of his body.

 _All that armor and weaponry, yet none of those Atlas bigshots considered_ seatbelts _. Felt like I went through a damn washing machine._

Roman felt a slight tug on his arm. Neo had finished up with his head wound, and moved on to a cut across his bicep.

"Leave it, Neo," Roman grunted. She shot him a scathing glare, which he ignored. "It doesn't hurt and it ain't bleeding anymore. I'm good."

Neo kept glaring, which Roman met with by raising an unimpressed eyebrow. After a few seconds, she rolled her eyes again, tossing the roll of bandages back into the basic first-aid kit, then walking over to the kitchenette.

Roman ignored the various clunks and thumps as Neo rummage through the refrigerator, likely trying to scrounge up whatever food was still edible. The conman instead fell back fully against the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

 _Jeez, those kids are something else. There is something really weird about Laser Lass. How the hell did an EMP of all things take her down? Monkey Boy and his friend weren't too bad, either. Didn't get to do much, though. Little Red and her girlfriends really stole the show._

Roman didn't notice the small smile that formed on his face until he felt it fade away. _Yeah… Little Red… Sunshine too…_

The moment kept replaying in his head, over and over. Those blazing red eyes, the soft silver, both aimed at him, side-by-side. For that brief moment, time rewound. He felt fifteen years younger, got that feeling of smarmy satisfaction from when he pulled something off, not for any kind of gain, but just for the fun of it.

Roman couldn't help but chuckle, earning an odd look from Neo as she stuck a spoonful of peanut butter into her mouth.

 _Small world, ain't it, Rosebuds?_ He watched the ceiling fan spin lazily for a moment, sighing tiredly. He pinched the bridge of his nose, resisting the urge to groan. _What the hell do I do now?_

A loud ringing sound startled from his thoughts. He looked over at the table, seeing his scroll vibrate across the coffee table. He picked it up, grateful he'd changed out his old ringtone, if only to see the disappointed pout on Neo's face. He flicked his thumb across the scroll's surface, mindful not to unplug it from the box. A window poped up, saying: **Caller Unkown. Audio Only.**

Roman did groan now. _Great, Cinder's going to rip me a new one over this. Just what I_ don't _need._ He stared at the scroll, seriously considering just ignoring the call, putting the scroll on silent, and going to bed.

He heaved a defeated sigh. _If only. I'm starting to wonder if the pay is worth dealing with Matchstick. Before I met her, I didn't have to worry daily about getting set on fire._ With one last groan, he accepted the call, figuring he should just get it over with. Smirking slightly, he put the scroll to his ear. "Before you start, it wasn't my fault."

" _What. Happened?"_

Roman sat up so fast the cut on his arm reopened. That… wasn't Cinder. A new smirk formed on his face, even wider. "You're gonna have to be more specific, Bully Boy. It's been a long night."

From the other end of the line, Adam Taurus snarled. " _Do you think this is funny?"_

"Normally, yeah, but- _ugh!_ " Roman winced as his arm throbbed, blood dripping onto the carpet. Neo was by his side in an instant, bandages in hand, spoon still in her mouth, and a heavy glare of 'I-told-you-so!' on her face. Roman ignored her, continuing like nothing happened. "I'm pretty sure if I laugh right now, I'm gonna tear something."

Taurus growled. _"Thanks to you, the entire rally was a failure. There are police crawling all over the slums. My men are scattered. We didn't get a single recruit. Everyone in the rally ran when you took our newest weapon, and went on a joyride."_

Roman snorted, unimpressed, as Neo started wrapping gauze around his arm. "If they bailed as soon as crazy stuff started happening, I'm surprised you wanted them."

" _What. Happened?"_ Taurus' tone dropped even lower, rage dripping from his every word. _"My lieutenant told me everything was going well. You had them eating out of your hand. Why? Why did you throw it away!?"_

Roman glanced at Neo, who had finished with his arm and had sat down on the coffee table, listening to the conversation as she ate another glob of peanut butter. Meeting his eye, Neo shrugged, motioning with the spoon in a 'well, go on' type of gesture. Roman rolled his eyes. "That cat brat was at the rally. I saw a chance to take care of her, and I took it."

" _...who?"_ Taurus asked, confusion mixing with his anger.

"Y'know, the same one that caused that little scuffle on the docks last month?"

" _No, I don't know. You said you already had a plan in motion and that 'those Beacon brats' were all yours. You told us it was a problem that would never happened again."_

Roman blinked. "I did?" He looked over at Neo, who stared back with her biggest 'you're an idiot' look. Roman clicked his tongue. "Oh. Guess I did. Well, the plan didn't pan out. I had Kitty Cat cold like I'd hoped, but this time, she brought even more brats to back her up."

" _...Kitty Cat?"_

Roman huffed in annoyance. "Yeah, this cat Faunus that keeps poking her nose in my our business."

" _Why?"_ Taurus' voice lowered further, getting deeper, rougher.

Roman didn't notice, scoffing at the thought. "I dunno. Something about not liking the White Fang working with humans. I don't really care why she's screwing with us. It's just annoying that she keeps doing it."

" _Describe her."_

Roman blinked, giving his scroll a funny look. "Uh… why?"

" _ **Because I said so**_ _."_ Taurus snarled in a low voice that promised murder. Roman flinched a little at Taurus' tone, feeling his usual humor bleed away as he realised that, somehow, he'd crossed some sort of line. Real quick, Roman started flicking through his scroll, looking through the hodgepodge of photos he had, some of them still being downloaded from the Paladin's black box. He tapped on the first one of Kitty Cat that he found, snapped when she and Ice Queen had leapt at it.

"Okay, uh… black hair, yellow eyes… uh..." He squinted at the picture, not really sure how to describe Kitty Cat further. His eyes locked onto a small splash of color on her skin. "She has a tattoo on her neck-"

" _ **WHAT!?"**_

Roman jumped at Taurus' feral roar, nearly dropping his scroll. He glanced at Neo, who tilted her head in confusion. Holding the scroll away from his face, just in case he prompted more screaming, Roman repeated. "...she has a tattoo on her neck? Right under her ear?"

For a few tense seconds, all that came from Roman's scroll was Taurus' deep, rage-filled breathing.

" _That mech had cameras, didn't it?"_

Completely thrown, Roman replied, "Uh… yeah. Why?"

" _Send me a picture of this girl,_ _ **Now.**_ **"**

Roman blinked. _What is his deal? The brat has some ink, so what?_ "Okay… do you know her or some-"

" _Just do it!"_

"Alright, alright! Yeesh! What's got your horns in a twist?" With a few taps of his scroll, Roman sent that same picture of Kitty Cat and Ice Queen off to Taurus. "There, happy now?"

" _...is this a joke?"_

Roman actually swallowed. He'd seen the White Fang leader pissed before, but he'd never heard Taurus use _that_ tone of voice. So cold and detached, yet still sounding enraged. Roman was starting to think he'd just been branded White Fang Chew Toy. "Bully Boy, I'm currently bleeding all over this wonderfully tacky shag carpeting. Despite my charming demeanor, I'm not really in a joking mood right now."

" _..."_

Silence was the only response.

"Uh, Bully Boy? You still there?"

" _...no…"_

Roman raised a brow at the heavy whisper. "Taurus? Buddy, you okay?"

" _...no… no, no, No, NO, NO... RRRAAAAUUGHH!"_

Roman jerked back, nearly dropping his scroll as Taurus unleashed an honest to Dust _roar_. There was a split-second sound of crunching plastic and shattering glass, then the line went dead.

Roman and Neo stared at the scroll, equally baffled at what had just happened. The only sound the hum of the ancient refrigerator, and a siren sounding far off in the distance.

"Well," Roman said, mildly perturbed. "That was… a thing. I guess he really doesn't like Kitty Cat."

Neo just nodded slightly, bending down to retrieve the jar of peanut butter she'd dropped.

Roman frowned. He was missing something. He tapped his scroll again, bring back the photo he'd sent.

 _I don't get it. The cat got a tattoo, so what? It's not even that impressive, just a couple of flowers and… wait._ He squinted at the picture. _A snowflake? Looks just like… ah. Okay, I can see why that would piss of Bully Boy, but… wait, why the heck would a Faunus brand themselves with the Schnee's calling card?_ His eyes drifted to Kitty Cat's own resident Schnee… and felt his eyes widen.

 _Oh. Matching tats. That's… different. I wonder if… well, that would certainly explain Bully Boy blowing his top. Guess Kitty Cat and Ice Queen better watch their backs._

Roman chuckled to himself, thinking that Taurus might take out his little cat-eared annoyance for him. But then… he thought of something. All humor drained from his face, a jolt of mild panic shooting down his spine. He quickly pulled up more photos, scrolling through them rapidly. There were hundreds, with more still being downloaded, enough that Roman was vaguely worried his scroll would run out of memory for them all. He zipped down to the most recent ones, looking for…

 _A-ha!_ Roman tapped on what he was looking for: Little Red, curled up on the gravel, clutching at her broken leg, while Kitty Cat knelt in front of her, glaring at the camera with eyes filled with fear and challenge. Roman felt his stomach sink.

 _Right. She and Little Red are friends. Whatever Taurus pulls on Kitty Cat, Little Red will involve herself, just like last time. Probably rope in Sunshine to help. Gah, why can't she just… WHAT THE HELL!?_

Roman's mouth fell open as he noticed a familiar shape on Little Red's neck.

 _Why does she have that!? Wait, does the whole team have them?_ He backed up, scrolling through more photos until he found of of Sunshine. _Dust dammit, they do! Why do they all have matching tattoos!?_

A slight bump on his shoulder startled him from his mini freakout. Neo poked him again, a questioning look on her face.

Roman groaned. "Nothin', Neo. Just making a bigger mess for myself, like usual."

Neo narrowed her eyes a bit, unbelieving, but eventually just shrugged, walking back to the kitchen as Roman flopped back on the couch. He ran a hand down his face, muttering to himself.

"Freakin' brats… making my life freakin' complicated." He looked out the apartment window, at the shattered moon peeking out from around the surrounding buildings. He let out a deep sigh. On a whim, he lifted his scroll, bring up his contacts. It was a short list, just Neo's number, a couple of his usual lackeys, the pizza joint on 4th street, and…

Roman frowned. The last number was one he always programed in his scroll out of habit, despite the fact that he hadn't called it in years.

 **Brainy Bird**.

Roman felt a familiar annoyance flair up inside him. _Why do I even bother? After all these years, she'd have ditched that number long ago. Not like I'll ever use it, either._

With a quick tap, he selected the number, bringing up a menu of options, chief among them being **Call** and **Delete**.

He stared at the two options, his thumb hovering over the screen. Then he let out an annoyed huff, toss the scroll back on the coffee table. He looked back out the window, watching the moonlight gleam against Vale's skyscrapers.

 _Well, there's no denying it now_ , he thought. _They're definitely your kids._ He groaned in frustration. _And I think I just sicked Adam Taurus on them._

 _Where do I go from here, Sis?_

* * *

 **A/n: Uh… I can explain?**

 **RT have said before that Roman was only meant to be in the first Volume. He only stuck around because people loved him so much. That's great and all, but I always felt he was underutilized in later volumes since they had to come up with something for him to do, with very little payoff come the end of his run.**

 **Since we're only at the midpoint of Volume 2 here, I have my own plan for everyone's favorite conman, while still keeping his usual charming personality intact. Here's hoping I can pull it off.**

 **See ya next time! Semblance shenanigans are on the horizon!**


	36. Chapter 36: Papa Panther

**A/n: Just to get this out of the way, life has taken a few unexpected turns in the past couple weeks. Nothing bad, mind you, but I haven't had much time to write. But, since I didn't want to leave you all with** _ **nothing**_ **for three weeks, here's another mini-chapter to tide you over. Fingers-crossed, I should have another full chapter ready to go by this time next week. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 36: Papa Panther**

 **Menagerie**

The day had just begun in the oceanside village of Kuo Kuana, the morning sunlight glistening against the ocean waves. Faunus of all ages were already outside their homes, working to clean and repair their town, now that the storms had finally passed. Some were clearing fallen trees, while others set out with hammer and nails, repairing walls, roofs, windows; anything the wind and rain had seen fit to destroy. Even the younger Faunus did their small part, cleaning windows and sweeping floors. At the rate things were going, their town would be returned to its regular normalcy by evening.

Ghira Belladonna took it all in with a smile, his chest swelling with pride as he made his way through the center of town. He had just left a similar scene mere miles behind him, and seeing that same sense of unity and community in his own hometown gave him a warm feeling.

People waved as he walked passed, which he returned with a nod and a smile. He'd be out to assist in the cleanup himself shortly, but first, he wanted to see his wife.

His smile slipped a bit, as the feelings once again washed over him.

 _Sadness, Anger. Happiness, Pride. Regret, Frustration._

Since he had woken up hours earlier, he could feel his wife's emotions through their Link, cycling constantly through a myriad of conflicting feelings. Years of experience told him that Kali was trying to reign her feelings in, but the closer he got to home, the stronger they became. When his house came into sight, he quickened his pace.

As he crossed the bridge to his home, a large manor that dwarfed most of the houses in town, he took a good look at how it had fared against Mother Nature. He sighed in resignation. A tree had fallen just short of the house, having taken out a large section of the fence. A few windows were cracked, none broken, though they'd need to be replaced before the next storm hit. It was an annoyance, but nothing to be truly bothered by. Past storms had proved to be much worse.

When he pushed open the front door, he was surprised to find the sitting room empty. _Strange_ , he thought, looking over the bare table. _Kali is usually having her morning coffee right about now._

"Kali?" He called out. "I'm home!"

After a few moments, Kali's voice drifted from the kitchen.

" _...I'll be there in a moment, Ghira."_

Ghira's eyes snapped towards the kitchen door. The instant he heard his wife's voice, his good mood vanished, replaced with worry. Kali sounded exhausted, drained.

Ghira was at the kitchen door in seconds. He threw it open, finding Kali sitting at the kitchen table, staring down into the full cup of coffee in her hands. Her short hair was sticking up slightly, like she hadn't bothered to brush it. Her cat ears were drooped as low as they could go, her golden studs nowhere to be found.

"Kali?" Ghira was at his wife's side in a instant, kneeling down to her level. He tried to meet her eyes, but they were hidden by bangs. He gently put his large hand over her arm. "Dear, what's wrong?"

Kali was silent, motionless. Then, slowly, she turned to meet her husband's eyes.

Cold dread filled Ghira's veins as he met Kali's red-rimmed eyes, glistening with unshed tears.

"What?" Ghira asked, wrapping his other arm around her shoulders. "What is it?"

* * *

 **Thirty Minutes Later…**

"I'M GONNA KILL HIM!""

 _CRASH!_

From where she stood beside the kitchen counter, Kali glanced at the splintered wood embedded in the wall. _I liked that table,_ she thought idely. She turned to watch Ghira as he started pacing around the room, gesturing wildly as he raged.

"How could he do this? We took him in, treated him like family! I don't even…"

Ghira let out a frustrated growl, kicking the refrigerator hard enough to leave a sizeable dent.

Kali said nothing, folding her hands in front of her as she took in her husband's _Anger, Betrayal, Disbelief, Hurt_. It was rare to see Ghira in such a rage. He was usually very even tempered, only raising his voice or showing anger when he witnessed something truly abhorrent. Even then, Kali was quick to soothe him, lest he work himself up into a true frenzy. She had the brief thought that she should be doing exactly that right now, but shoved it away. As it stood, it took all she had to just stand and watch him vent, rather than join him in his outburst.

"How could he just… _use_ her like that?"

Kali's ears perked up a bit when she heard a noticeable shift in his tone. When Ghira next turned around, she saw the look of broken disbelief on his face, echoing his feelings of _Regret, Fear, Anger._

Kali took a step forward, stopping Ghira's pacing by putting a hand on his shoulder. Ghira turned to her, startled.

Pushing out feelings of _Calm, Reassurance_ , Kali spoke softly. "She's okay. Right now she's safe and happy."

Kali could feel Ghira relax slightly, though his shoulders stayed tense. "She shouldn't have felt unsafe in the first place," he growled, mostly at himself. "She shouldn't have been forced to become a… a criminal!"

Kali sighed, rubbing his arm gently. "Blake did as she was told. She thought she and Adam were doing the right thing."

Ghira growled at Adam's name. "Only because she trusted him… because we told her to trust him!" He snarled, tensing like he was about to begin raging again.

Before he could begin, Kali reached up, cupping his cheek. Surprised, he looked down at her, his face falling when he met her eyes.

Kali's golden orbs glistened, her calm facade cracking. _Agreement. Self-loathing. Failure._

Ghira flinched a little, then closed his eyes, breathing deeply. He opened them, cupping Kali's face in the same manner. _Agreement. Sympathy. Self-loathing. Failure._

Kali closed her eyes, a few tears slipping through. _Frustration. Helplessness._

Within the same moment he'd felt her emotions, Ghira pulled Kali close to himself. Resting his hand on the back of her head, he pressed his forehead to hers. _Calm. Sympathy. Reassurance._ Kali pulled back slightly, opening her eyes in question. Ghira smiled, rubbing away her stray tears with his thumb. _Hope. Resolution. Confidence._

Kali smiled weakly. "Always the optimist."

Ghira's grin widened "Can't see the stars with your head down."

Kali giggled slightly, giving his arm a forceless tap. "But you _can_ see where you're going."

His grin shifted to a smirk. "That's what I have you for."

They shared a brief laugh at the old joke, holding each other. When they calmed down, Kali smiled at her husband, though it still wasn't as wide as he'd hoped. "We _will_ fix this, right?"

Ghira gave her a determined nod. "Whether we will or not isn't even a question. How, though. That's… more complicated."

Kali nodded back slowly, a spark of fire in her eyes. "Right… well, we won't figure it out on empty stomachs." Pulling away from her husband, Kali moved to stove.

Ghira watched his wife work for a moment, before turning towards the rest of the room. He help back a groan when he saw the kindling that use to be their kitchen table. Then he frowned slightly, noticing the small shards of porcelain among the wood, dripping with brown liquid.

As Kali dug through the refrigerator, she heard the clinking of glassware behind her. She turned around, only to find Ghira smiling down at her, holding out a new cup of steaming coffee.

Kali blinked in surprise. She let out small breath, taking the cup with a thankful smile.

Ghira just nodded, then made his way to his study.

Once out of his wife's sight, Ghira's face crumpled. He fell back into his desk chair, burying his face in his hands. Without Kali's calming presence, he could feel the anger rushing back. He was tempted to just walk out the back door and just roar at the sky until it was drained out of him, but he didn't want the townsfolk to think there was another Grimm attack.

Letting out a loud groan, he let his hands fall to the table. His eyes followed their path, until he noticed a set of deep gouges in the aged wood. Curious, he traced the lines with his fingers, quickly noticing the distinct pattern they made. He glanced up at his computer monitor, his own haunted look reflected back at him. He marveled at his wife's restraint. Had it been him listening to Blake's tale, there'd likely be a large hole through the center of his desk, roughly the same size as his fist.

Frustrated, he pushed away from his desk, getting up to pace the room. After a couple laps back and forth, his eyes eventually landed on the large world map hanging behind his desk. As he trailed his gaze across the shape of Vale, he lingered on the dot marking the city by the same name. He felt his chest tightened. Somewhere in that city, his daughter, his pride and joy, had suffered for three long years at the hands of a man he'd always viewed as a son.

His only comfort was that Blake was now in the hands of people who truly cared for her. He smiled slightly at the thought. Bless his Mate, she'd tried to ease into all this horridness with word of who his daughter had brought into their family. From what Kali had said, Blake had found a trio of loyal, kind girls that would go to the ends of the earth to keep her safe.

Even the fact that one of them was Weiss Schnee didn't bother him as much as Kali thought it would. True, Jacques Schnee was one of the lowest, vilest _bastards_ he had ever met, but that didn't mean the entire family was rotten. He was reminded of a chance encounter a few years back during a solo trip to the White Fang of Mistral, where he met the famed General Ironwood, and his new second-in-command, a freshly promoted Winter Schnee. The young woman had been a bit prim and proper for his tastes, but she was respectful and even curious about his position, asking about what life on Menagerie was like. Despite her frosty demeanor, there was glimmer in her eyes that her father lacked. If one of the Schnee daughters had managed to survive Jacques' poisonous upbringing, perhaps the other had as well.

As Ghira lost himself to his memories, his eyes lingered over Mistral. Then, with a blink, he looked back at Vale. His eyes darted back and forth between them, a grin forming slowly on his face, growing larger by the second.

"Kali?" He called out, quickly making his way back to the kitchen.

Kali looked up from the stove, halfway through flipping a stack of pancakes. "What is it, Ghira?"

Smile locked in place, Ghira asked her, "When was the last time we traveled to Mistral?"

Kali cocked her head, completely confused. "Um… you went a few years ago. I haven't been since Blake was a child. Why?"

Ghira started slowly pacing around the kitchen, collecting a coffee mug. "Well, I just kind of realized how long we've stayed on Menagerie. I thought maybe we could take a tour of Mistral, check in with the White Fang's efforts there. I've heard it's lovely this time of year."

Kali set the skillet aside, turning to face her husband fully. She knew that tone of voice. Ghira thought he was being clever. Confused as to where he was going with this, she played along. "Oh?"

Stirring a heavy helping of cream into his coffee, Ghira nodded. "Sure. Of course," he added, giving an exaggerated shrug. "The seas between here and Mistral are rather dangerous. Between the possible storms and the Grimm, you never know what could happen. Our ship may get turned around, need to stop from time to time for repairs. Never know exactly where. Could be the southern Mistralian Isles, or somewhere in Vert..."

Kali's eyes widened, catching on. "Vale?"

Ghira hid his grin behind his mug. "Possibly. And, if that were to happen… maybe we decide to tour the Vale countryside instead. Maybe even pay a surprise visit to our brothers and sisters in the capitol."

Kali nodded sagely, then grew a smile that matched Ghira's. "We'll have to inform the local chapter here about our travel to Mistral."

"Yes…" Ghira agreed. "To Mistral."

Her husband's plan firmly taking root, Kali's smile tightened, both with worry and anticipation. "When will we take this trip?"

Ghira's eyes hardened, making his large grin turn predatory. "As soon as we can."

 **End of Act II**

* * *

 **A/n: ~Adam is in trouble...~**


	37. Act III: Chapter 37: Frosty Reception

**Act III**

 **Family Rights**

 **Chapter 37: Frosty Reception**

 **Beacon Academy, Infirmary**

 _She was running. Her lungs burned, her legs ached, but she pushed on. In the distance, a fear-filed yowl pierced through the silent forest. In the same second, a strange noise sounded, like a roar mixed with an enraged snort. She pushed herself harder, forcing herself to move faster, to get to the sounds as quickly as possible. Up ahead, a clearing. She could see something small and thin dart passed, a hulking, threatening creature hot on its heels. She lept into the clearing, putting herself between the two. She growled at the creature, her silver eyes boring into the burning red orbs behind a pale white mask. She tensed her hind legs, ready to leap-_

 _ **Thump!**_

* * *

Ruby gasped, jolted out of her sleep by the sound of something heavy hitting the floor. She blinked her bleary eyes rapidly, the last remnants of her strange dream fading as she registered the early morning light shining through the infirmary windows. She glanced down at herself, dimly wondering when she'd changed into her sleep clothes.

" _Oh… oh, no… this is… this is bad… can't…"_

Panicked mutterings pushed the last bits of sleep out of Ruby's system. Her eyes darted around the darkened room, finding all the other beds empty, save one with a pile of swords on it, thin wires running from their hilts down to the floor. Sucking in a startled gasp, Ruby pushed herself up, ignoring the mild throbbing in her broken leg. She followed the wires' path, finding...

"Penny?"

Penny laid on the infirmary floor, her limbs splayed at odd angles, like a puppet with it's strings cut. She turned her head jerkily towards Ruby's voice, her vibrant green eyes filled with fear and panic. He whole body was shaking.

Ruby pushed herself up further, leaning forward as if to leap from her bed. "Penny, are you okay?"

The robotic girl stared up at Ruby, her face full of shock and desperation. "R-Ruby?" Her voice sounded mostly normal, but still had a slight tinny echo to it, every other word stuttering. "Wha-what am I doing here? W-Where are we?"

Ruby frowned, concerned. "Beacon's infirmary. We all came here after the fight. You and me were the only ones hurt bad enough to stay the night."

Penny's eyes widened in fright. "'A-All'? Y-You mean… your team? S-Sun and Ne-Neptune? Th-They saw m-me like th-this?"

Ruby gave a small nod. "Sorry. When we got back here… there was really no hiding what you are, what with the sparks and your… wire… sword… things."

Penny jerked in surprise, twisting her head around. The sudden motion pulled at one of her wires, sending a black and green sword clattering to the ground. Penny watched it fall in horror.

"They… they saw… Ruby!" Penny crawled forward a bit, pulling more swords off the bed. She looked up at Ruby in desperation. "D-Did anyone e-else see me like th-this?"

Ruby swallowed, her heart dropping into her stomach as she looked into Penny's fear filled eyes. "J-Just the night nurse." She looked away from Penny's eyes, not wanting to see Penny's reaction. "And… Professor Ozpin."

Ruby jumped as an electrical _pop!_ echoed through the quiet room. Her eyes snapped back down to Penny, and the look of pure terror on the android's face gave her chills. A thin trail of smoke curled from Penny's left ear.

"O-Ozpin?" Penny murmured faintly, her head rocking from side to side in denial. She started pushing back, away from Ruby's bed. "Professor O-Ozpin saw me like… he kn-knows that I'm…" She suddenly pushed off the ground hard, almost getting her legs under her, only to fall back down in a boneless heap.

Ruby jolted forward, panicked by her friends collapse. "Penny! What-?"

She was cut off when Penny tried to stand again, this time not even making it too her knees. As she hit the ground, more sparking sounds came from within her. "I-I have too g-get out of h-here!" Her voice grew more panicked, static tinging her words. "The General s-said that Professor O-Ozpin can't know w-what I a-am!"

Ruby tried to lean down, reaching for her panicked friend. "Penny, wait! If you just-ahh!"

A startled gasp left Ruby's lips when he hand slipped, sending her full weight falling off the bed. Ruby landed with a thud, a metallic twang echoing through the room as he brace hit the ground hard.

Blinding, raging, _pain_ shot up Ruby's leg, nearly making her scream. Unlike the previous night, her leg felt like it was once again in one piece, but that burning, agonizing pain had only gotten worse. Ruby tried to curl up around her leg, but the brace kept it straight, which only created more pain when she tried to force her leg to bend.

So bad was the pain that she almost didn't hear Penny's voice grow even more hysterical, this time with a loud shout of "Ruby!"

Ruby forced her eyes open, flashing her a smile that felt just as painful as it looked. "I'm okay, Penny," She lied through clenched teeth, her voice an octave higher due to the pain. "J-Just a few bruises."

Penny just stared, frozen in shock, just barely holding herself up by her elbows.

Ruby took a deep breath, forcing herself to ignore the pain. Seeing that Penny had stopped her frantic escape attempt, the sniper decide to move before that changed. Slowly, she reached out with both arms and started dragging herself across the aisle, her fingers slipping slightly on the cold linoleum. An ungodly screeching droned as her brace scraped across the floor with every pull.

Penny watched with wide eyes, her body still trembling. When Ruby's arm slipped just a few feet from reaching her, Penny threw out her arm without thinking, catching Ruby by the shoulder before her nose could crack against the hard floor.

Ruby was surprised, but flashed Penny a thankful smile as she carefully pulled herself up to sit. Her breath hitched as she rolled over, her leg throbbing. She scooted backwards, until her back hit the side of Penny's bed. Once she was comfortable, she reached over.

Penny stiffened as Ruby grasped her by the arms and pulled. Ruby struggled against her surprising weight. Seeing this, Penny gave a jerky kick backwards, pushing herself forward. Realizing what Ruby wanted, Penny forced her damaged body to roll over, sending more swords tumbling, until she was sitting side-by-side with her friend.

Ruby grinned at her, breathing a bit harder then usual. She threw an arm across Penny's shoulders, mindful of her jetpack's sharp edges. "There… that's better… right?"

Penny blinked at her, then looked away. "You didn't have to fall out of bed like that." The stutter in her voice had vanished, but still held that metallic echo.

Ruby rubbed the back of her head with her free arm, smiling sheepishly. "Yeah, well… wasn't exactly my plan." She frowned when Penny didn't smile back. "Are you okay?"

Penny glanced at her briefly. She shifted in place, and Ruby could feel the light tremors running through her body. She also felt oddly warm. "My synthskin has been completely restored, but several of my internal components are still damaged. My aura should repair them faster now that I'm activated."

Ruby nodded, but her frown deepened. "That's good… but that's not really what I asked."

Penny hesitated, then hung her head, letting out a shaky breath. "I'm in so much trouble"

Ruby tilted her head. "Why?"

Penny stared at her in disbelief. "I-I was suppose to be back at base by ten-o'clock last night… and I was _never_ suppose to let Ozpin know that I'm… I'm…"

"Synthetic?"

Penny's face tightened a bit as she nodded. "Yes… Professor Ozpin was against the project that lead to my creation. The General is worried about how he'll react when he finds out that I was made anyway."

Ruby hummed, shifting a little closer. "Well… he didn't seem angry last night. At least… I don't think he was."

Penny wasn't convinced, her leg giving a slight twitch as something within it clicked back into place. "What did he say?"

Ruby shrugged. "Not much. Just that he wanted to talk to all of us about the fight against Torchwick today. We're suppose to meet with him at ten."

Penny blinked at that. She was silent for a moment, and Ruby thought she saw her green eyes flash. Penny frowned. "It's a quarter past six right now."

That got a groan out of Ruby, as she overexaggerated falling against Penny' shoulder, hanging her head. "Noooo…! Why do I keep getting up early on Sundays?" A wave of exhaustion hit Ruby, as if her body agreed with that sentiment.

A small smile formed on Penny's face at the sniper's antics. "You could go back to sleep."

Ruby thought about it, letting out a out a low hum. "I could try."

"Okay. Do you want me to help you back into…?"

Penny trailed off as, to her utter shock, Ruby removed her arm from Penny's shoulders, only to then snuggle against her side, tucking the top of her head into the crook of Penny's neck.

Penny's cheeks tinted with a green glow. "Ru-Ruby?"

Ruby just muttered into Penny's shirt, her words muffled. "I'm tired… you're warm."

Penny fidgeted nervously. She'd never been in this kind of situation before. Having someone this close to her was extremely odd… but strangely, it also felt quite nice. Still, she couldn't help but ask, "...is it really appropriate for you to sleep against me like this, given your current relationship status?"

A sleepy chuckle escaped Ruby's mouth. "They won't get jealous. They know I love them and wouldn't hurt them like that. I'm tired and I trust you. They'll get that." She then frowned grumpily. "Plus, they all cuddled together last night without me. I got cheated."

Penny tilted her head a bit, but didn't think much of it. Instead, she let out a quiet sigh. "... you're lucky." She muttered as she felt Ruby's breathing slow. A single silver eye cracked open, looking up at her in question. "Not everyone manages to find such a close relationship, especially with such a unique situation as yours." She hummed to herself, a wayward thought striking her. "I wish I was able to have such a relationship."

"Why can't you?"

Penny flinched in surprise, finding Ruby now looking at her with both eyes. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. She thought Ruby was making a joke… until she noted the genuine confusion on Ruby's face. "Ruby… I'm a robot." She explained shortly, her cheeks glowing brighter.

Ruby just frowned deeper. "So?"

Penny could only blink at that. After a few seconds, all she could say was, "... you are a very odd person, Ruby Rose."

Ruby just gave her a sleepy smile. In just a few moments, she was out.

As light snores filled the room, Penny frowned at the sleeping girl. The way she brushed off her synthetic nature was… disconcerting. And not just her; Weiss hadn't dwelled on her nature at all either. Penny wondered how the rest of the teens from last night had reacted to the truth about her. If they didn't have an issue either...

Penny leaned her head back, a slight _ping!_ sounding as a joint in her neck popped back into place. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander as her aura did its work. At this rate, she should be fully healed in just a couple hours. Until then, she just listened to Ruby's slow breathing, wondering what laid in store for her at the hands of Professor Ozpin.

* * *

 **Beacon Academy Airfield**

It was relatively early on the Beacon grounds. Being Sunday morning, most of the student population were either still sleeping or only just beginning their day. A few small groups of students were out and about, though nearly all of them had some form of coffee or equivalent on hand as they cut across the courtyard towards the waiting Bullheads.

General Ironwood watched them scurry about with a curious eye, standing near an empty platform at the far end of the airfield. There was a certain feel about these teenagers, a lightness that his own students seemed to lack. Frankly, the school as a whole seemed the opposite of Atlas Academy, more bright and cheerful, though there was a worrying lack of discipline among them. He'd nearly stepped in when he witnessed, in broad view of everyone around, a large young man in bronze armor yank on the ear a passing rabbit Faunus.

The only reason Ironwood didn't was because, no sooner had the young man done the deed, then a girl in a brown beret rounded the corner, and gave the young man a tongue-lashing that left the Genral both disconcerted and slightly impressed. The young man had sneered at the two girls, until another pair of boys arrived, one of them being a full two heads higher the the bronze-armored boy, and glared him down. The young man had scurried back towards the school shortly after, and the group of apparent teammates had carried on their way, the girl in the beret fretting over the rabbit Faunus' bent ear.

Ironwood shook his head. He knew that some of his own Atlassian students weren't much better in their views and actions, but none of them would escalate things to the point of becoming physical. He simply wouldn't tolerate it.

He glanced down at his watch. His brow creased in concern. His meeting with Ozpin was in twenty minutes, yet there was still no sign of-

The familiar whirl of a Bullhead's engine sounded overhead. Ironwood looked up and watched as a glistening white airship touched down beside him, the SDC logo proudly embossed on it's side.

Not two seconds after landing, the Bullhead's door flew open, and a scowling Winter Schnee marched out of it at a brisk pace, leaving a baffled SDC worker standing in the opening.

Ironwood smiled at his second-in-command, already turning to walk towards the school. "Good to see you, Specialist. How was your trip back home?"

Winter shot him an unamused glance, though her face softened as she fell into step beside him. "A waste of time, doubly so after I received the information you sent me. My father had no knowledge of the missing prototypes, nor any of our other equipment."

Ironwood nodded grimly. "I take it then that you read the files on your way here?"

Winter nodded back, though Ironwood took note of the slight dip of her lips. "Yes sir, though the specifics were rather vague regarding last night's events. I understand that my sister was involved in some way?"

Ironwood let out a huff of a laugh. "In a way. From what I understand, she, her team, two Haven students, and Penny, all took it upon themselves to take down a rogue Paladin prototype."

Winter's eyes widened a little, then narrowed. "I see," She said plainly, an edge of frost in her words. "That's… interesting. Any idea why Penny would agree to do something so… foolhardy?"

Ironwood shook his head. "That's one of the first things I'm going to ask her once this meeting is underway."

Winter hummed at that, her eyes drifting upwards towards Beacon's various towers and spires, all sparkling in the morning sun. Her frown deepened. She looked towards the General with thinly veiled apprehension. "Sir, is this really the wisest choice of action?"

Ironwood let out a deep sigh of resignation. "Not so much 'the wisest choice' as it is the best of a short list of bad ones. Ozpin has already discovered Penny's secret. To withhold information about her now would not only be insulting, but could be misconstrued as us actively working against him. Ozpin already thinks Project Polendina was a bad idea. Hopefully, once we show him the progress Penny has made, we can change his mind."

Winter hummed in thought. "Some individuals will not like revealing Penny's nature to Professor Ozpin." She stated simply.

Ironwood made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a scoff. He had a strong suspicion who one of the 'individual's' Winter was referring too was. "They'll just have to live with it. Just because they provided funding for the project does not mean I will bend over backwards to appease them."

As Ironwood spoke, Winter's lip twitched a bit, forming a non-existent smirk. "As you say, General."

The General nodded in response, smiling slightly. As they stepped into Beacon's shadow, however, the grin slowly slipped off his face. Just short of the main entrance, he slowed to a stop. "Winter?" He asked, turning to face his second. "May I ask you something?"

Winter stood next to him, giving a stiff nod. "Of course, Sir."

Ironwood went to speak, then paused, looking thoughtful. He glanced around, finding that the two of them were currently the only occupants of the courtyard. Meeting the Specialist's eyes, he said, "Winter, you've spent more time with Penny they anyone else short of her 'father'. In your lessons with Penny, has she ever given you her thoughts on becoming the Fall Maiden?"

Winter blinked, slightly perplexed. "Sir?"

Ironwood looked away, his eyes drifting towards the center statue of Beacon's courtyard, a Hunter and Huntress standing above a roaring Beowulf He let out short breath. "Something Oz said to me last night. Winter, I believe I may have made an error regarding Penny, one that Oz will no doubt ask Penny about himself." At Winter's bemused expression, he continued. "It's just… we've spent all our time and resources crafting Penny to become the perfect Fall Maiden. Yet, for the life of me, I cannot recall ever asking her if she actually _wants_ to become a Maiden."

Winter's eyes noticeably widened. "Sir…" She started hesitantly. "She… hasn't stated otherwise, at least not to me. But… why would she? Isn't that the entire reason Penny was created?"

Ironwood's frown morphed into a small grimace. "I have a feeling that's exactly the point Oz was trying to make."

Winter nodded slowly. "...this meeting is not going to go well, is it?"

Ironwood took a deep breath, his face blank. "We will see." With that, he continued into the school, Winter following dutifully.

The trip through Beacon's corridors was silent. Very few students were roaming the halls, the few who were ignoring the pair, though one or two looked back at Winter in confusion. They were nearly to the right elevator when a voice came from behind them.

"General!"

The two stopped, turning to face the newcomer. Ironwood smiled a little. "Glynda," he greeted, giving the Beacon teacher a respectful nod as she closed the distance between them. "I hope we're not late."

Glynda didn't smile, but she reciprocated the nod, giving one to Winter as well. "You're a bit early, actually. I was on my way to collect Penny now."

In an instant, Ironwood's face tightened. "I see… and do you…?"

"I know, James," Goodwitch stated firmly, her eyes narrowing a bit. It was not so much anger in her voice as it was resignation. "Frankly, I share Ozpin's views on the matter, but I'm willing to listen to your reasoning."

Ironwood grimaced, but only slightly. "That's all I ask. Would you mind escorting me to Ozpin's office? I'm sure Winter would be more then happy to collect Penny in your stead."

Winter gave the general only the briefest glance before nodding in agreement.

Glynda hesitated for a moment, then relented. "I suppose. Ozpin did want to speak to you as soon as possible. Winter, you'll find Penny in the infirmary."

Winter's stony facade cracked in confusion. "The infirmary, Ma'am?"

Glynda simply nodded, glancing down at her scroll. "Yes. All the students involved in last night's affair went there after the fight. I'd ask you to collect another student from the infirmary as well, the leader of their impromptu operation: a girl named Ruby Rose."

At that, Winter's eyes widened, then narrowed as a determined look spread over her face. "Of course, Ma'am. General." She offered Ironwood a brisk nod, then marched off in the direction of the infirmary.

Ironwood raised an eyebrow at his second's quick departure, but ignored it. He instead motioned for Glyda to pass him. "Lead the way?"

Glynda just nodded, already moving as the General tried to keep up.

* * *

As Winter walked down the empty halls, she couldn't help but feel a small amount of anticipation.

She had not spoken to Weiss in months, due to a combination of conflicting schedules and their father's meddling. Finding that she had been enrolled in Beacon rather than Atlas had been an unexpected surprise, but a good one. Frankly, the further her sister was from their bastard of a father, the better.

Unfortunately, Weiss had neglected to contact her in the intervening months since her enrollment. Not surprising, given her sister's mentality when last they spoke, but still disappointing. Winter had several questions for her that a simple scroll call could have answered. How did she like Beacon? How was her training going?

Who was Ruby Rose?

That last one had been burning inside her for a while. Since Weiss wouldn't call her, and likely wouldn't appreciate Winter calling to check up on her 'little sister', Winter tried to get answers a different way: calling in a favor from Professor Ozpin himself. Of course, the man could never give a straight answer (She suspected being ambiguous and aloof was just how the Headmaster had his fun), and had instead sent her a simple file containing the names and pictures of Weiss' team. Or rather… Ruby Rose's team.

Yes, Winter had several questions for her sister when they reunited. She regretted the fact that the first time Wiess reached out to her, just yesterday, she'd been engaged in a relentless battle against her father's bloated ego. At least now, she and Weiss could have that conversation in person. But for the moment, perhaps she could get one answer herself.

A few turns down Beacon's hallways, and Winter found herself at the infirmary doors. She pushed them open, entering a small waiting room. A young woman in a nurse's uniform sat behind a plain desk, reading of a pile of paperwork. She looked up as the doors opened.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

Holding herself with her usual poise, Winter nodded to the woman. "I've come to collect two girls for a meeting with Professor Ozpin: Penny Polendina and Ruby Rose."

At the names, the nurse blinked in surprise, then, confusingly, smirked. She pointed to a pair of double doors to Winter's left. "They're right through there. Hope you have better luck getting them up then I did."

Winter frowned at her, head tilting slightly, but the woman had already turned back to her papers, laughing softly to herself.

Curiosity mixing with concern, Winter pushed through the doors, entering a room lined with beds. She looked around, finding them all empty, save one with a pair of Penny's swords hanging off the edge. Confused, she went around the bed. When she looked down, her blue eyes widened, her mouth falling open in shock.

When Ironwood had called for her to come to Beacon, Winter had prepared herself for a multitude of situations, ranging from the unpleasant to downright hostile. Finding Penny sitting on the floor, eyes closed, with Weiss' team leader all but sleeping in her lap, was not on the list.

"Penny?" Winter gasped, none-too quietly.

Penny's eyes snapped open, quickly going from a pale grey to their usual vibrant green. _Likely jolted out of Sleep Mode_ , Winter thought absently. Penny looked down at Ruby Rose, blinked, then looked up at Winter. Her cheeks tinted green in an instant.

"M-Miss Winter!" Penny whisper-shouted. Winter took note of the faint echo in her voice, and the small jerk when she fully turned her head. "W-What are you doing here?"

A sharp question was on the tip of Winter's tongue, but she forced it down. Instead, she inhaled deeply through her nose, giving Penny a pointed look. "I've come to collect you and... Miss Rose for Professor Ozpin's meeting. If you could…" She gestured towards the sleeping girl.

Penny quickly understood, giving a rapid nod. She shook Ruby's shoulder. "Ruby, wake up. It's time for the meeting."

Ruby gave a groan of discontent, but her eyes soon blinked open. She shifted away from Penny, stretching her arms up as she let loose a large yawn. "Is… is it ten already?"

"9:22, to be exact," Penny replied helpfully.

Ruby nodded slowly, humming in acknowledgement. "Oh, not late then. Good." She then looked up, just then noticing the other person in the room.

Winter met her bleary stare evenly. She expected the girl to be surprised, startled, maybe even worried, depending on what Weiss had told her. What she did not _expect_ was for Ruby Rose to give her a large, almost loving smile, sliver eyes shining with warmth.

"Hey, Weiss," Ruby said, stifling another yawn. "Worried I was gonna be late… for…?" Ruby then frowned, shaking her head a little. After blinking the last bits of sleep out of her eyes, Ruby looked Winter up and down. Again, Winter's expectations were dashed when the girl simply tilted her head to the side, looking mildly puzzled. "You're not Weiss." She stated plainly.

Winter blinked at Ruby. In some distant part of her mind, she was impressed. Within the first minute of meeting her, Ruby Rose had managed to confuse her. Rather than dwell on this, Winter simply lifted her chin, looking down her nose at the girl. "No, I'm not. I am Atlassian Specialist _Winter_ Schnee."

Again, whatever Winter was expecting, it was _not_ for the young leader's face to brighten like a child receiving a present. "Oh! You're Weiss' big sister! I was hoping to- Ow!"

Winter actually stepped forward in concern as Ruby Rose tried to jump to her feet, only to slam back down when her braced leg remained unmoving. The girl clutched at her leg for a moment, gritting her teeth. She let out a groan. "Right… forgot about that."

Winter raised an eyebrow at that. "You… _forgot_ about your broken leg?"

Ruby Rose flashed her a sheepish grin that seemed almost _too_ big. "Sorry. It takes a bit for me to really wake up. Weiss says I'm scatterbrained in the morning." She giggled to herself, leaning against the bed as she slowly got to her feet, Penny offering her assistance. "Guess she's not wrong!"

Winter could only stare. This _is the girl that had beat Weiss out for team leader?_ But before she could really think on it, Ruby Rose turned slightly against Penny. Winter's eyes widened, then narrowed as she caught sight of the girl's neck.

Yes, she had many, _many_ questions for her sister.

Once Ruby was up, leaning heavily on Penny, she glanced around the room. "Um, you wouldn't happen to have seen any-"

"Looking for these, Miss Rose?"

Their attention was drawn to the infirmary doors as the nurse Winter had spoken too walked through, holding a pair of crutches. The nurse shot Winter a small smile, nodding to her. "Nice work waking them up. Miss Rose would just mumble when I tried." Ruby pouted at her, which she ignored, simply turning her smile to the young girl. "I suppose you're feeling better then, Miss Rose, given you're back on your feet?"

Ruby's pout faded into a bright smile. "Yep! Right as rain!... ow…" She winced as she adjusted the crutches under her arms, accidentally putting too much weight on her bad leg. She laughed awkwardly. "Well, I will be in a couple days."

Winter raised a bemused brow at the girl's words. _Healing from a broken leg in two days? She can't really believe that._

To her surprise, the nurse just smirked at her. "From anyone else, I'd call that arrogance. You have some very potent aura, Miss Rose."

Ruby ducked her head a little at the praise. "My semblance helps speed things along."

The nurse nodded. "I assumed so." Then she turned to Penny, looking the girl over. Penny shrank away from her gaze, keeping her eyes to the floor. Before Winter could think to break the awkward air, the nurse said, "I must apologize for leaving you in the state you were last night, Miss Polendina. I wasn't quite sure how to treat you, given your… status."

Penny flinched when she started speaking, but quickly looked up at the nurse's calm tone. Seeing no scorn or unease, a hesitant smile spread across her lips. "It's fine ma'am. My aura's fixed most of my injures, and the rest only require some light maintenance. Thank you for your concern."

The nurse raised a brow at her word choice. "'Maintenance', huh?" Penny's cheeks blazed again, but the nurse spoke again, smiling. "Well, you're polite. That's a good point in my book."

Penny looked surprised, but smiled back, wider than before.

Before there could be any more distractions, Winter cleared her throat. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's almost time for our meeting with Professor Ozpin. Is Miss Rose ready to leave?"

The nurse turned to her, nodding. "She is so long as she doesn't push herself to hard," She gave Ruby a stern look. "At all. The next time you come in here, it better only be to get that brace off. Understand, Miss Rose."

Ruby gave a sheepish nod. "Yes Ma'am."

"Good." Winter said. "Penny, if you could retract your weapons?"

Penny nodded. "Of course." Penny's eyes glowed brighter, and her jetpack split apart into two swords. A sharp clacking filled the room as each of Penny's blades started to fold up into neat rectangles. Penny's body gave a small jolt, and all the wires running from Penny's back retracted, each of her compacted swords disappearing into her back.

Ruby caught the briefest glimpse of the compartment in Penny's back, filled with plethora of grey components and glowing green wires, before a flesh-colored panel slid into place, followed by the back of Penny's shirt closing over it like curtains "So cool…" She murmured, stars in her eyes.

"Miss Rose," Winter's crisp voice brought Ruby out of her amazement. "Penny. If you'll follow me, please."

Without another word, Winter strode to the doors, holding them open with an expectant look. Penny and Ruby gave the nurse one last smile, then followed her. Ruby took a few steps to get a feel for the crutches, Penny hovering close by just in case she fell. Winter thankfully walked at a slow pace, letting Ruby keep up with her.

As the three left the infirmary, Ruby was bursting with questions. She'd been hoping to meet Weiss' sister one day, so this was perfect! Though, why was Winter here at Beacon? Wait, no, she'd already said, the meeting with Professor Ozpin. Well, maybe she could ask some questions about Winter herself. What did she like? What was her weapon?

 _Ooh! Maybe she can tell me what Weiss was like as a kid! Maybe even-_

"Miss Rose."

Ruby froze as Winter came to a stop in the middle of the hallway. The older woman turned around, looking down at her.

"May I ask you a question?"

Ruby didn't like the look she was giving her. It reminded her too much of the one Professor Goodwitch had when she screwed up during lessons, or her dad when he caught her trying to sneak cookies in the middle of the night.

"Um… okay?" Ruby said hesitantly, bracing herself slightly. Penny looked between the two, concerned.

Winter's words were calm, collected, not a hint of accusation in them. Yet they still made Ruby's heart jump into her throat.

"Would you mind telling me why you have a Faunus' Mate's Mark with my family's symbol on it?"

Ruby's response was just as calm… mostly from shock.

"Uh… wha?"

* * *

 **A/n: And now Ruby is is trouble. Aren't I nice? =D**

 **Everything goes right, we got one more chapter for the meeting, and then we jump into something I've been dying to get to for months: Multi-Semblance training! Expect awesomeness, hilarity, and many headaches for all involved.**

 **For those who care, I've just got a Tumblr page up and going, under the same name as my one here. Not much to it right now, in fact, it's pretty much empty, but if anyone has any questions about LiLaL, maybe why I've made certain choices that I did, send them over there and maybe we can do a Q &A thing. Also, if anyone out there has some artistic talent, I'd love to see some fanart from LiLaL. Someone did that for one of my other fics and it was awesome.**

 **Either I'll see you there, or I'll see you here next chapter. Later!**


	38. Chapter 38: Affinity Found

**Chapter 38: Affinity Found**

Ruby stared up into Winter's piercing blue eyes, her mouth fallen open in shock. "Uhh…"

Winter stared back passively, unblinking.

 _Umm… Oh, what do I do!?_ Ruby's mind was a jumbled mess, Winter's question having completely upended her thoughts. To anyone else, she'd have no problem explaining her relationship. They'd all decided not to hide their status as Mates, something Ruby was thankful for. She was pretty sure trying to keep her relationship a secret would make her explode.

Winter, however… that was a different case.

 _Weiss said that Winter wouldn't have a problem with our relationship… well, that she was_ least likely _to have a problem with it, but that's practically the same thing… right? Oh, I wish Weiss was here…_

"You, um…" Ruby tried, her mouth feeling unnaturally dry. "You know what a Mate's Mark is?"

Ruby gave herself a mental pat on the back. _Yeah, that's a good way to start… or at least to buy time while I figure out what the heck I'm suppose to say!_

Winter merely raised an eyebrow, unconcerned about the mental maelstrom she'd inflicted on the girl before her. "Yes, I do." She folded her hands behind her back, giving Ruby a patient look. "Miss Rose, has Weiss ever said anything about our father to you?"

Ruby blinked at the question, then her expression changed to the closest thing she had to a scowl. "Enough to know I don't like him."

Winter's brow raised a bit, and Ruby thought that, for a split second, the corner of her mouth quirked upwards. "Well, then you likely know that he tried to instill a… certain perspective into my siblings and I, regarding the Faunus people."

Ruby's face darkened to something dangerously close to anger. She just nodded slowly.

Winter went on. "I'm afraid he may have succeeded in giving those views to my younger siblings, but I always felt that my father's teachings were… _flawed_ to say the least. When I eventually left home, I made the effort to gain as much knowledge as I could on the subject, so I could make my own views."

Ruby's proto-scowl faded, understanding in her eyes. "So… that's how you learned about Mate's Marks?"

"In a way. Information on that _specific_ subject is rather difficult to come by outside of Menagerie. But I learned enough from texts and a few personal inquiries to understand the basics: sharing aura with one another, sensing each other's emotions. An interesting, if odd practice. And over the years," Winter's eyes narrowed slightly. "I've seen enough of them personally to recognise one when I see it."

Ruby gulped, flinching under the sharp glare. It was a lot like Weiss', only scarier.

Winter kept up the stare for a few seconds, then closed her eyes. She took a deep breath through her nose, and when she opened her eyes, they were… well, not really softer, but not as cutting. "Miss Rose," She said calmly. "I won't procrastinate any longer; you are in a relationship with a Faunus, yes?"

Ruby frowned slightly, cheeks tinting from Winter's bluntness. "Yes…"

Winter's face fell a bit. "And… I can think of only one reason that my family symbol would be a part of your Mark's design." She sighed deeply, and Ruby saw resignation in her eyes. "Weiss is part of your relationship, isn't she?"

Ruby shrank further.

 _Weiss is gonna kill me._

"Yes… she is…"

Winter's shoulders tensed ever so slightly, and Ruby winced away from her, expecting the older woman to explode in anger. Instead, surprisingly, Winter simply clenched her jaw. "Okay," She said, her voice tight. Without another word, she set back down the hall.

Ruby watched her go for a moment. She shot Penny a curious look, the android having watched the whole conversation in silence. Penny just shrugged, looking just as confused as Ruby. They both quickly followed, Ruby wobbling slightly as she worked her crutches.

Silence was never something Ruby enjoyed, especially when coupled with the rather stern, blank expression Winter had. It only took about thirty seconds for Ruby to say something, pushing herself to keep even with the Specialist. "Miss Winter?" She questioned hesitantly. "Are you angry?"

Winter glanced at her, and Ruby flinched at how cold her eyes were. "My feelings are none of you concern, Miss Rose."

Ruby gulped, but pressed on. "What are you going to do?"

Winter didn't even bother looking at her this time. "I am going to take the both of you to this meeting with Ozpin, listen to what you all have to say, and once that's done," Her eyes narrowed, her tone of voice leaving no room for argument, "My sister and I are going to have a _long_ talk."

Ruby's arms felt like lead, as did her sinking stomach. Swallowing down her nerves, she tried to salvage as much as she could. With a hint of desperation in her voice, she begged. "Please don't be mad at Weiss."

Surprisingly, Winter stopped walking, so suddenly that Ruby nearly tripped doing the same, Penny having to grab her by the shoulder to keep from falling. When Ruby looked up, she found those crystal eyes boring down at her, a single sleek eyebrow raised in question. It took all Ruby had to keep eye contact. "She didn't do anything wrong… right?" When Winter's only response her brow arching further, she went on. "I mean… her being with us isn't a bad thing… is it?" She finished uncertainly, unnerved by Winter's lack of response.

Uncomfortable silence filled the hall, and Ruby wished more than anything that her Mate's Link somehow extended to Winter. After feeling her team's emotions nonstop for over a week, being faced with such an unreadable, emotionless situation was nerve racking.

Just when Ruby thought that she'd blown any chance of having Weiss' sister even remotely liking her, Winter's shoulders sagged. Not much, but enough to lessen the strict, commanding air the woman always had about her. She frowned slightly, looking away from Ruby in a way that reminded the sniper of Weiss doing the exact same movement.

"I never claimed she did something wrong, Miss Rose." Her tone was still prim and proper, but Ruby could hear some underlying emotion in it. "But I worry that she doesn't quite grasp the scope of what this relationship involves. Personally, politically…" Winter shook her head, letting out a sigh. "I need to speak to Weiss on this later." She gave Ruby a long look, glancing briefly at Penny. She closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. When her eyes opened, Winter appeared calm and collected. "We're going to be late for the meeting. Come."

Winter took off again, Penny and Ruby sharing just a quick look before following, Ruby wondering just how much trouble she'd gotten Weiss in. A full minute of silence passed, only the clanking of Ruby's crutches being heard.

"Miss Rose?"

Ruby looked back up at Winter, crutches wobbling as she kept moving. "Yes?" She asked nervously. "And, um… you can just call me Ruby… y'know… if you want…"

Winter raised a slim brow, and Ruby noted just a tiny flicker of warmth in her eyes. "Ruby," She corrected, brow raising higher at the bright smile that earned her. "Could you tell me how Weiss has been doing in her classes?"

Winter was mildly alarmed at just how _huge_ Ruby's smile was. "She's amazing! Like, the smartest person in school, except maybe Pyrrha and Ren every once in awhile. One time, in Grimm Studies, she…"

* * *

 **RWBY Dorm**

"Well, that can't be good."

Weiss shot Yang an unamused look as she pulled her hair into a sideways-ponytail, but couldn't chastise her. For Ruby to get _that_ panicked, and now feel _this_ guilty, something major must have happened. She frowned at the thought, trying to think of what could have gone wrong so early in the day.

Blake hummed in agreement, smoothing down the front of her shirt. The three Mates were rushing to get dressed, having overslept a bit, then taking a while to pull themselves away from each other's warm embrace. They'd started moving faster when they realized something felt wrong, like they were missing something, or rather, _someone_ , in their already overcrowded bed.

Weiss made a mental note at the thought. _First, get us all new scrolls, then, ask about getting a bigger bed._ She picked her scroll of the nightstand, opening it and tapping on the screen, but nothing happened. She sighed, not even bothering to close it as she tossed it back on the nightstand to join the rest of the dead scrolls. _Hopefully we can salvage the memory chips. I'd hate to have to tutor Ruby without all my school notes._

Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed a now familiar sound filling the air around her. A small smile spread over her lips as she glanced over at Yang. The blonde met her eyes with a smirk, leaning against the window with her arms crossed. They both turned to face Blake, who was running a brush through her hair with her eyes closed, her left ear twitching with each pull.

"Blake," Yang said, slight teasing in her voice. "You're purring again."

Blake froze mid-brush, eyes snapping open as her purrs cut off abruptly. She looked over at her Mates, cheeks tinting slightly at their wide grins. "Sorry," She muttered, having an embarrassed smile of her own. "It just kind of keeps happening."

Yang just chuckled, reaching up to give Blake's ears a quick scratch. "We know, Kitty Cat." Her smirk softened as Blake leaned into her touch, once again radiating _Happiness, Relief, Contentment._ "I'm glad you're feeling better after talking to your mom. But you might want to try reigning it in a bit, before you end up purring like a motorboat in Ozpin's office."

Blake winced slightly at the mental image, leaning away from Yang's hand. "Oh, that would be so mortifying. I'll try to get a handle on it."

Weiss laughed quietly at them. Since waking up, she'd felt almost unnaturally calm considering what they were about to go do. She wondered if Blake's happiness was bleeding over into herself, but pushed it aside to question later. She fished around through one of her bags, humming happily when she found the compact she was looking for. She flipped it open, giving herself a quick onceover. She smoothed her bangs. trying to make herself look as presentable as possible. She paused when her eyes drifted downwards, catching sight of her Mark.

She sighed. She looked at her girlfriends, watching as Blake discreetly pulled a small orange pill bottle out of her bag. Blake quickly swallowed one of the capsules, then stashed the bottle back in her bag. Weiss decided not to comment on it, instead asking, "So, do we know what we're telling Professor Ozpin?"

Yang let out a rueful laugh. "Not much point hiding anything. He had us cold last night."

"Yes, but," Weiss paused as she pulled Ruby's cloak down from the girl's suspended bunk, the ropes creaking softly as the bed swayed. She folded the cloak over her arm, and continued. "How _much_ do we tell him? He knows we fought Torchwick's Paladin, but not why we were there in the first place."

Blake let out a huff, sitting on the edge of her bed. "I don't know. He already knew I was a Faunus before I enrolled, but I'm not sure if he knows I was part of the White Fang. And even if he does, I have no idea if he knows what I did with them."

Yang frowned at that. "So, if he doesn't know about you and Adam… yeah, that could be bad." She looked between her girlfriends. "So, then what? We lie? Say we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

Weiss grimaced. "That might have worked if it was just us four, but since Sun and Neptune were there with us, not to mention Penny…"

"Yeah," Yang commented with a chuckle, shaking her head disbelief. "Robot girl. That's a new one."

Blake nodded in agreement, frowning at Weiss' words. "It looks suspicious; seven students from three different schools, all at the same place in the same fight." She groaned, pressing her palm to her forehead. "Damnit… there's no way around this, is there?"

She felt someone put their hand on her shoulder. Blake looked up into Yang's lavender eyes, the blonde giving a warm smile.

"Don't start freaking just yet, Blake," She said. "For all we know, Ozpin already knows all about you, and won't bat an eye. And if he does, we got your back."

Weiss appeared at Yang's side, giving a stiff nod. "Agreed. Though, was it me, or did Professor Ozpin seem like he already knew something about what we did last night? Beyond fighting the Paladin, I mean."

Yang shrugged, her hand falling from Blake's shoulder as the Faunus stood. "I think that's just how he is all the time, Weissy. It's kinda creepy, honestly."

Blake laughed weakly at that, then glanced at the wall clock. They had forty minutes until ten-o'clock, but they had decided to show up a half-hour early just in case. Blake let out a deep sigh. "Alright… let's get this over with."

Yang patted her on the back, grinning broadly. "That's the spirit."

Weiss rolled her eyes as she followed her girlfriend's out of the room. _Remember, Weiss. you_ chose _to be part of this insanity._ She let out a sigh, her lips forming a slight smile as she stepped in line with Blake and Yang.

* * *

Several flights of stairs later, and the leaderless Team RWBY reached the elevator to Ozpin's office. To their surprise, Sun and Neptune were already there, sitting on the floor playing some kind of card game. Sun scowled at the cards in his hand, opening his mouth to say something to Neptune, when he caught sight of the approaching girls. He waved to them as they drew closer.

"'Sup, guys! Wanna be dealt in? It'd be nice if Nep had someone to trounce other than me."

Neptune met Sun's scowl with a smirk. "Ain't my fault you have can't bluff to save your life, bro."

Sun responded in the mature manner of sticking his tongue out at him.

"How long have you two been here?" Blake asked.

Sun shrugged, looking back at his cards. "Twenty minutes, maybe? We ended up coming early because _someone_ freaked out thinking we were late."

"I thought Ozpin said nine," Neptune grumbled, drawing a new card from the deck. "My bad."

The minutes ticked by slowly as they waited. Yang had sat down next Neptune, joining in the game when it became apparent they might be there a while. Blake and Weiss stayed standing, watching the game with slight interest, despite neither of them knowing how to play. They're thoughts, however, were mostly focused on figuring out why Ruby was suddenly feeling excited and happy after being so worried.

Sun had just thrown down another bad hand, all of them laughing at his misfortune, when Blake's ears suddenly twitched. She tilted her head up a bit, and smiled. "I can hear Ruby. She's close."

Weiss looked at her, slightly envious of Blake's enhanced hearing. She strained her ears, trying to hear what the cat Faunus had. After focusing for a few seconds, she could just hear Ruby's motormouth going from down the hall and around the corner.

" _...Yang got up on this big open platform, and started firing as it flew around her…_ "

"Oh, boy," Yang said, shaking her head with a small smirk. "Ruby suckered someone else in for story time." Blake let out a small giggle, thinking about the same.

" _...and then, Weiss used a bunch of velocity glyphs, and sent me moving faster than I've ever gone before! The Nevermore never knew what hit it!_ "

Weiss smiled a bit. It had been a few months since she'd heard Ruby recount their first fight at Beacon. The first few weeks after the event, it was all she would talk about to anyone who would listen, their moves and attacks becoming more grandiose with each retelling. It had annoyed Weiss to no end at the time, but after growing closer to Ruby, knowing her as well as she did now, Weiss felt nothing but warm affection towards her youngest girlfriend.

" _Indeed?"_

...and now she felt nothing but pure, abject _horror_.

 _No… no, no, it can't be. Why… why would she be here, now? And… oh, Dust, how much did Ruby tell her!?_

Blake and Yang actually flinched away from Weiss as _Panic, Fear, Shock_ rolled off Weiss like a tidal wave. The look of terror on her face didn't help them feel any better.

"Weiss?" Blake asked, putting a hand on her shoulder as Yang shot to her feet. "Weiss, what is it?"

Weiss couldn't hear her, her eyes glued on the hallway corner, wishing, _begging_ , that she had heard wrong, that she'd made a mistake, that…

...that her elder sister Winter wouldn't walk around the corner, an interested look on her face as Ruby hobbled beside her on crutches, babbling away. Penny standing on Winter's other side, looking just as invested in Ruby's tale, only cemented the nightmarish image.

Blake and Yang stared at the approaching trio with wide eyes. Yang leaned over to Weiss and whispered, "Uh, Weiss? Is that…?"

"Winter," Weiss whimpered weakly

"After that, we… oh, hey guys!" Ruby looked away from Winter, having noticed her team standing outside the elevator. "Look who I found!"

Weiss could only watch in horror, mouth agape, as Winter gave Ruby a calculating look. "I believe _I_ found _you_ , Ruby."

Weiss' heart jumped. Since when did Winter call anyone by their first name!?

Ruby just shrugged. "Eh… same thing."

Winter seemed unimpressed with her answer, though… no, Weiss must have imagined the slight twitch in Winter's lips.

Weiss nearly flinched when Winter's crystal-blue eyes turned to her, only stopped by years of practice. Winter looked her up and down, and for a heart stopping moment, Weiss thought her gaze lingered on her neck. The moment was gone just as soon as it happened, and Weiss shuddered as their eyes met. The tension ended, thankfully, when Winter's lips curved into a _very_ light smile. "Hello, Weiss. You look well."

Weiss felt a bit of weight fall off her shoulders at Winter's tone. It was calm and proper, but it wasn't cold. There was none of the disappointment or judgment Weiss had been fearing. Actually, it was faint, but Weiss almost thought she heard a bit of warmth in her sister's voice. With a shy smile, she responded. "T-Thank you, Winter. It's good to see you."

Winter gave her a nod, then her gaze drifted to her side, blue eyes scanning Blake and Yang. Weiss flinched internally when Winter's eyes flicked to the top of Blake's head, and started feeling uncomfortable when she stared at Yang for a little too long. To their credit, the partners didn't seem that affected by Winter's stare. Blake met her gaze evenly, her face blank, not even reacting when Winter looked pointedly at her ears. Yang just gave her a large smile, though anyone who knew her recognized the glint in her eyes, the one that said, 'If you have a problem with me, bring it on.'

The analysis ended when Winter nodded to the two. "Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao-Long, I presume?"

Blake gave her a respectful nod, while Yang beamed. "That's us!" The blonde boomed. "You're Weiss' big sister Winter, right?"

Winter raised an eyebrow at her, and Weiss radiated her annoyance at Yang's bluntness and her worry of Winter's reaction. To her relief, Winter simply nodded. "Yes, I am. I would like to have a proper conversation with you both sometime soon, but Professor Ozpin is likely waiting on us. Now…"

Winter paused as she turned back towards Ruby, her words trailing off quietly. While Winter's focus had been on Blake and Yang, Weiss moved closer to Ruby, throwing the red cloak over the younger girl's shoulders sleep clothes. Ruby gave Weiss a warm smile as the heiress clasped the cloak around her neck, coaxing a small smile from Weiss. Then Weiss' eyes widened, and she glanced towards Winter nervously.

Before even a second had passed, Winter continued like nothing happened. "Ruby," Winter looked down at Ruby, the young leader looking up at her commanding tone. "Is this everyone Professor Ozpin requested?"

Ruby glanced around the hall, taking note of Sun and Neptune frantically cleaning up their messy pile of cards. "Yes, this is everyone," she answered.

Winter nodded to her. "Good. I will go up and inform Professor Ozpin that you are all here. Penny, please wait here for the moment."

Penny gave Winter a sharp salute. "Yes Ma'am, Specialist."

Winter returned the salute, Weiss shocked to see that same small smile on her lips as she did so. With a wave of her scroll, Winter called the elevator and stepped inside. As the doors closed, she met Weiss' eyes one last time, sending a shiver up the younger Schnee's spine.

Once the elevator started its ascent, Yang let out a light hum. "So that's your sister, eh, Weiss?" A small smirk formed on her lips. "She seems _cool."_

Weiss didn't even acknowledge Yang's poor attempt at humor, already rounding on Ruby. "Ruby, what did you say to Winter?"

Ruby flinched at Weiss' sudden intensity, ducking her head a little. "Not… much. Just a few stories about our classes. Nothing major."

Weiss narrowed her eyes. There was something in Ruby's voice… like she was hiding something. "Really? That's all? You didn't mention anything that might have been… odd?"

The fact that Ruby wouldn't meet her eyes did not instil confidence. "Um… not… _exactly_ …"

"Ruby, what did you do?" Weiss was trying very hard not to growl out the words. She was vaguely aware of Yang putting a hand on her shoulder, strong fingers tracing circles on her skin. It calmed Weiss, at least a little.

Ruby made an uncomfortable sound, and there was guilt in her eyes when their eyes met. Ruby quickly looked away,

" _Winterknowswe'reMated_."

Ruby mumbled so fast, Weiss wished she could believe she'd misheard. "W-What?" She breathed in disbelief.

Ruby groaned, then gave Weiss the biggest, fakest, _guiltiest_ smile she'd ever seen. "Winter, uh… knows that we're Mated?"

…

Weiss stood still as a statue, her eyes wider than ever. Behind her, Blake's shocked expression quickly crumpled as she groaned in the back of her throat, covering her face with her hand. Yang only winced, any annoyance she would have felt towards Ruby being drowned by her sister's own shame and worry.

Off to the side, Sun inhaled sharply, sensing the rising tension in the area. "Oh, this ain't gonna be good." Hey took a not-so-subtle step away from the Mated quartet, Neptune following suit. Penny looked between the two groups, unsure what exactly the problem was, but decided to follow Sun's lead, standing with the two boys while they waited for-

" _ **WHAT!?**_ "

Ruby cringed, her stomach turning at the overwhelming _Shock, Fear, Panic_ radiating from Weiss. Before she could answer, Weiss was right in her face.

"Why would you tell her that!? I didn't want her to know yet! I-I don't know how she'll react!"

"Weiss, calm down," Yang ordered, pulling the panicked heiress away from Ruby, shooting her sister a sympathetic look.

Weiss turned her focus on the blonde, her emotions growing stronger by the second. "I will not calm down! I have no idea what Winter will think of this, of us! I wanted to… to… I don't know! Ease her into the idea, or… _something_! But I can't do that now because Ruby just-"

"She already knew what a Mate's Mark was!"

Weiss stopped mid-word, her head snapping back to Ruby. The leader flinched under the attention, which only grew worse when, as one, the rest of the teenagers turned their attention to her.

"W-What?" Weiss stammered faintly.

Ruby shifted awkwardly in place, her arms starting to feel sore from leaning on her crutches. She tried to meet Weiss eyes, but the intensity in them made her look away. "Um…" She tried, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Winter, she… um… she already knew what a Mate's Mark was."

Weiss look of surprise was mirrored by Yang and Blake, the Faunus' ears perking up a little. "She… did?" Weiss asked.

Ruby gave a slight nod, finally able to meet Weiss eyes. "Um… yeah, she did. And… when she saw your snowflake on mine..."

Weiss blinked, comprehension in her eyes. "She… oh…"

"Yeah… Sorry, Weiss."

Weiss saw the guilt in Ruby's eyes, and felt her shoulders fall in regret. She let out a low sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "No… no, I'm sorry Ruby. I shouldn't have blown up like that. Just…" She let her hand fall, and gave Ruby a worried frown. "What did you tell her?"

Ruby looked down guiltily. "I didn't really tell her anything. She asked me if I was in a relationship with a Faunus," Her eyes darted to Blake, then met Weiss eyes. "Then if you were part of our relationship."

Weiss grimaced, closing her eyes. "And you said yes."

"...sorry?"

Weiss groaned, burying her head in her hands.

Yang frowned, having felt Ruby and Weiss bounce between _Worry, Fear_ , and _Guilt_ through the whole conversation. "What exactly is the problem here? What, is Winter anti-Faunus or something?"

Weiss shook her head, crossing her arms as she turned to Yang. "No, not as far as I know. Yang, Winter is extremely critical of… well, everything!" She sighed heavily, looking at the floor. "Our relationship is about as unconventional as possible. I don't know if she'll approve of… us."

Blake hummed in understanding. "And you really want her to."

Weiss looked up, blue eyes drifting across each of her girlfriends, her Mates. She shrugged helplessly. "She's my big sister," She muttered quietly. "I want her to be okay with this… You all make me happy. I just wish… I _hope_ that's enough."

A broken look came across Weiss' face, one that stirred Ruby to action. With a small grunt, she hobbled forward, letting one of her crutches fall as she gave Weiss a strong one-armed hug. Weiss returned it instantly, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl as she rested her chin on her shoulder.

"It'll work out, Weiss," Ruby soothed, giving Weiss a squeeze. "If it helps, she didn't seem angry when she found out."

A weak chuckle broke past Weiss' lips. "Winter always has her emotions locked down tight, Ruby. If she's angry, she won't show it."

"So, not a hothead like you?" Yang equipped with a smirk.

Weiss scoffed, shooting Yang a weak glare. "Yang, _you_ are not allowed to call anyone a 'hothead'."

Yang's response was to tussle Weiss hair with a little more force than necessary, promote the heiress to bat her hand away, telling Yang not to do that.

Ruby pulled away from Weiss, giggling as the two started arguing about which of them was hot-headed. She felt Blake put a hand on her arm, finding the cat Faunus holding her discarded crutch. Smiling to each other, they turned to watch the heated argument unfold, unconcerned given the undercurrent of playfulness the Link added to their barbed words.

After the arguing duo wound down (Yang eventually conceded that she did have the hotter-head, given that she was just hotter in general. Weiss gave up rather than risk another argument, this time filled with Yang's groan-worthy puns.), and the three outliers were sure there would be no more family-fueled drama, the minutes started slowly ticking by. Team RWBY huddled up together, discussing quietly what they were going to tell Ozpin. Sun and Neptune started their card game up again, while Penny stood over them, watching the game with intrest.

As ten minutes passed with no sign of Winter or Ozpin, the group figured they would be stuck waiting until ten. It was only moments after realizing this, (and after losing three hands in a row) that Sun decided to break the silence.

"So… can I ask a question?" All eyes turned towards him, Blake meeting his eyes first as he'd looked to her.

"What's up, Sun?" Yang asked.

Tossing down his cards, the game purposefully forgotten, Sun said, "Something's been bugging me since last night, and if you could clear it up, that'd be great."

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

Sun put his hands behind his head, leaning back against the wall. "What were you guys talking about last night? I tried to follow, but I kinda got lost when you started talking about you guys using the wrong Semblances."

Weiss grimaced, while Yang and Ruby shared a look. Blake looked around at her Mates, receiving nothing but helpless shrugs. "Something weird happened during the fight with Torchwick," she finally admitted. "I… I don't know how, but… he had me and Ruby pinned down, but right when he went to finish us off, I threw up my arms and…" She trailed off, unsure how to properly explain.

Yang had no such problem. "Blake somehow made one of Weiss' glyphs."

Sun blinked, while Neptune just seemed confused. "She… made a glyph?" The blue-haired boy asked. "Like, those spinning snowflakes Weiss can make?"

Weiss made a disgruntled sound at his discription. "Yes, one of those. Except, this one was purple."

Sun's mouth opened a bit in surprise. "Uhh…"

"Oh, it gets better," Yang cut in, crossing her arms with a smirk. "Right after that, I start running to pound on the mech, and suddenly I blasted off across the field just like this one always does." She threw an arm around Ruby's shoulders, giving her sister a shake strong enough to nearly make her drop her crutches.

"You used Ruby's superspeed?" Penny asked, tilting her head with a puzzled look on her face.

Yang grinned wider, a spark of excitement in her eyes. "Yep! With the rose petals and everything. Except, y'know, yellow." She finished with a small shrug.

Sun stared at her, mouth agape. Then, with a blink, he snapped it shut. "...okay, it's official: you four are the weirdest team I've ever seen."

Ruby pouted, while Weiss and Blake gave him a flat stare. Yang, however, snorted in amusement. "Well, you ain't wrong."

"But… that should be impossible." Penny piped up, her brow scrunched in confusion. Her eyes glowed brightly, tiny streams of blue dancing across them. "No one has ever used another person's Semblance, according to my records." She frowned, her eyes glowing brighter. "Maybe if I search the internet…"

"Do you guys have any idea how you did it?" Neptune asked, arms crossed in thought.

Blake shook her head, looking down as she turned her hands over, eyeing her palms. "Not a clue. It just… happened."

Neptune groaned lightly in discontent. "C'mon, there has to be more than that." He glared down at the floor, as if staring at a puzzle that was missing pieces. "Something had to of cause it. I mean, people don't just get a second Semblance."

At his words, Ruby frowned. Something Neptune said sounded familiar. "Second Semblance…" She muttered to herself.

It hit her like a bolt of lightning. Ruby's eyes grew huge as she latched onto the idea. "Yes they do!" She shouted, startling the group.

"Uh," Neptune droned slowly. "No they d-"

"Blake!" Ruby steamrolled right over him, spinning on her crutches so fast she nearly fell. Blake and Weiss both reached out to steady her, and both could practically feel the excited energy buzzing beneath her skin. "You told us before that Mates could gain a second Semblance! What if that's what's going on?"

Blake frowned in confusion, but her eyes soon widened. "You mean… an Affinity?"

Weiss and Yang jolted in surprise at Blake's words, while Sun's jaw dropped. "Whoa, whoa!" He said, jumping to his feet. "Are you serious? Affinities are super rare. Like, one in a million rare. You really think you guys got one?"

"Wait, Seriously? Oh, man, that would be epic if we-"

"Uh…" Neptune raised a hand as he clambered to his feet, cutting off whatever Yang was going to say. "Could someone please explain to the uninformed human? What's an Affinity?"

Blake and Sun shared a look, Sun giving her a small shrug. Blake turned to Neptune, about to speak, when Penny cut her off.

"Affinity:" The synthetic girl recited, her eyes glowing. "A unique ability shared between Faunus Mates, created from the mixing of auras, not unlike a Semblance. Chances to attain one estimated at two-to-five percent. Chances increase if the parents of a Mated Faunus have an Affinity, though exact chances are unknown." Penny blinked, and her eyes faded back to normal. She met Blake's eyes, head tilted. "Is that correct?"

Blake blinked at her, stunned. "U-Uh… yes," She said, shaking off her shock. She managed a small smile. "That's exactly it, Penny. Thank you."

Penny beamed. "Happy to help."

"But…" Weiss said, putting her hand to her chin in a thinking pose. "That still doesn't make sense. An Affinity is a the same ability shared between Mates. You and Yang used two completely different powers."

Blake frowned. Weiss had a point, but… it still felt like something was missing.

"Have you guys tried it since?"

All eyes turned towards Sun, who looked back curiously.

"Tried what?" Yang asked.

"Using Ruby's superspeed," he bobbed his head towards Blake. "Or making another glyph. Have you tried yet?"

Blake hesitated, her ears dipping nervously. She looked to Yang, and the blonde could only offer a shrug. "No," She said to Sun. "We haven't. I guess it slipped our minds after last night."

"Well, try it!" Sun pushed, looking a little excited. "See if you can do it again."

Blake's ears shot up. "What… here? Now?" The rest of her team looked equally surprised.

Sun nodded. "Sure. Make sure last night wasn't a fluke or something."

Yang looked thoughtful for a moment, excited even, but quickly shook her head. "Tempting, but… I ain't trying right now. I remember when Ruby was first leaning her Semblance and, even if I could pull it off, I'd rather not accidently blast through a wall." Beside her, Ruby grimaced. Yeah, those early days hurt a lot, especially before she learned how to run and _stop_. And those walls didn't always break!

Still, Ruby latched onto the idea, new fantasies forming in her head. If her team really had formed an Affinity, one that somehow let Blake use glyphs and Yang superspeed, she wanted to know exactly what it was. And if Yang was out, that left…

Blake felt Ruby's curiosity and excitement before she met her leader's bright silver eyes. She didn't even need to ask, she already knew what Ruby was thinking. Her ears pinned back again, wary of the look on Ruby's face. "Ruby…"

"Could you try?" Ruby asked, her tone calm, but hopeful. Blake wasn't fooled, however. In addition to the her escalating emotions, Ruby's eyes were twinkling in awe, just at the thought of Blake using Weiss Semblance.

Blake let out a distressed huff. "Ruby, last night was an accident. I don't even know how to make a glyph."

Ruby was disappointed for all of a second, before her head snapped towards Weiss. "Weiss could you-"

"No," Weiss denied forcefully, exasperation in her tone. "I can't just show her how to make a glyph, Ruby. It takes years of practice to get to the point I am, and I'm still not that good at it." She continued before any of her team could deny her words, though her chest warmed at feeling that they were all about to do exactly that. "Each of my glyphs are different, complex. None of them are as easy as just waving my hand and having it appear."

"One of them is."

Weiss shot Yang an unamused look, making the blonde put her hands up in defense. "Hey, I'm just saying: Blake was able to make that one last night without a thought. So _that_ one, at least, can't be too hard to make."

Weiss opened her mouth to retort, then paused. She hesitated, looking deep in thought. "Well," She said hesitantly. "Maybe there is one. But…" She turned to Blake, frowning slightly. "Blake?"

Blake looked down, thinking. She looked to Ruby, seeing the excitement in her eyes, and Yang, who stared back curiously. "I… could try," she said hesitantly, meeting Weiss' eyes. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

Weiss just stared for a moment, her lips pulled to a fine line. Then she let out a sigh of exasperation, muttering under her breath.. "Of all the ridiculous things…" Her eyes sharped, and she took a step forward. "A simple barrier glyph. A single hand motion, with a simple command."

"Command?'" Blake repeated, confused by the term.

Weiss ignored her, holding out her hand, palm up. "Easy enough to start out." She bent her fingers, crossing her pinkie over her ring finger. Her hand glowed with white light, and a small glyph a foot wide formed above it, spinning lazily. "It's the simplest glyph I know, and the easiest to make."

Blake eyed the spinning snowflake, trying to remember what Weiss had just done. "Okay…" She said slowly, turning her palm up beside Weiss'. Trying to ignore everyone's eyes on her, she asked, "How do you do it?"

Weiss eyes met hers briefly, before jumping back to their hands. Her fingers relaxed, and the glyph faded away. "First, you need to picture what you want to make. Think of a smooth surface, something solid."

Blake's brow furrowed as she tried to understand. "Like what?"

"Anything," Weiss said, still looking down. "A shield, a wall; anything will work, so long as you can picture it clearly."

Blake frowned in thought. the first thing she latched onto was the wall behind her bed. She leaned against it often enough as she read, she could picture it easily. "Okay… I think I have something… now what?"

"Now, try to cycle your aura through your arm." At Blake's confused look, she clarified. "Have your aura run down your arm to your fingers, then back up to your elbow. Keep a constant flow of aura moving through your arm."

With a slight nod, Blake tried to replicate what Weiss described. A slight tingle built in her arm started rushing through it, speeding up to her thumb, through each of her fingers, then back down her pinkie. "Next?"

Weiss pursed her lips, radiating indecision. "Then… move your fingers… like this." She bent and crossed her fingers like before, slower this time so that Blake could see. The instant the motion was complete, white light enveloped her hand, and a small ringing sound filled the air, another glyph phasing into existence above Weiss' hand.

Blake stared at the glyph, her heartbeat increasing. She looked at her hand, feeling her aura rushing beneath her skin. _Can I really…?_ Slowly, she moved her fingers.

Weiss was still talking as she did. "If you've done it right, the glyph should just appear. At least, that's how it worked the first time I formed-"

 _Shriiing!_

"-this… glyph… oh, _wow_ …"

Weiss and Blake both looked down in amazement. Beside Weiss' glyph was an off-color copy, a violet snowflake spinning at the same slow speed.

"I… I did it," Blake breathed. A tentative smile formed on her lips, growing larger by the moment. "I actually made a glyph."

Weiss nodded dimly, shock plain on her face. "Yes… you did."

"Okay," Yang pipped in, reminding the monochrome pair that they had an audience. " _That_ is seriously awesome."

Murmurs of agreement came from the surrounding teenagers, save Ruby, who was looking at the two glyphs with just as much contemplation as excitement.

"How's it feel, Blake?" Yang asked, leaning in close to the pair, looking between the two glyphs in awe.

Blake thought for a moment, making sure to keep her aura moving as Weiss instructed, watching the violet light dance across her hand. "It… doesn't really feel like anything," she admitted, puzzled.

"It's an extension of yourself," Weiss says quietly, finally lifting her eyes from the glyphs. "It's like your arm or your leg. It's there, but you don't really feel it unless something happens to it." To demonstrate, Weiss lifted her free hand and gently placed it on top of Blake's glyph.

Blake sucked in a startled breath. Weiss was right, she could feel her glyph as easily as she could her arm, feeling Weiss cool hand on it's surface. It was disconcerting as she and her glyph were clearly separated, yet somehow felt attached, as if there was a phantom connection running from her brain to the glyph.

"Penny, can you hold this?"

Blake and Weiss jumped, startled from their thoughts. They turned just as Ruby handed her left crutch to Penny, who just looked confused.

"Ruby?" Yang questioned.

Ruby glanced at her sister, then held up her now free hand, looking at it intently. "I want to try something." She took a step closer to Blake and Weiss, holding her opening her hand just as Blake had.

Realizing what Ruby wanted to do, Weiss said, "Ruby, I don't even know how Blake can do this. You can't just expect-"

As Weiss was speaking, Ruby stared at her hand, her eyes narrowed in concentration. She twitched her fingers.

For a brief moment, Ruby though it had worked. Her hand glowed, and a wispy red circle formed above it. In the next instant, however, the light flickered out, and the circle collapsed, fading away like crimson snow.

"Aww…" Ruby pouted as she flexed her empty hand, oblivious to the freshly shocked teens around her. "I thought I had it."

"You had the gesture wrong." Weiss said faintly, drawing Ruby's attention.

"I did?" She asked.

Weiss swallowed, then bobbed her head to the glyph in her hand. "You didn't have your index finger bent right… see?"

Ruby looked at Weiss hand, then Blake's. "Oh… okay, let me try again." She held her palm up, then replicated the position of their fingers. "Like- THIS?!" She squeaked when her hand was engulfed in red, and another snowflake joined the other two. Bright red, the same color as Ruby's cloak, with a darker shade backing it. Unlike the other two, Ruby's was spinning wildly, matching excitement plain in Ruby's smile.

"I did it!" She cried proudly. If it wasn't for her braced leg, she'd have jumped for joy. "I can make glyphs too!"

Blake beamed at her, no less confused, but unable to be worried in the face of Ruby's joy. Weiss stared at the crimson glyph, eyes darting between it and it's violet counterpart. Slowly, bolstered by the Ruby's exhilaration and pride, Weiss' unease was pushed aside, and a small smile spread across her lips. "Y-Yeah," A shaky giggle escaped her lips. "You can. You _did_. And…" She trailed off, her gaze snapping to Yang.

Yang didn't hesitate, practice shaking in anticipation. "Like you're leaving me out of this!" She laughed, throwing up her hand next to the other's. "If Ruby can do this, I probably can too. So, once the aura's moving, I just move my fingers like this, right?"

Weiss watched Yang's finger's bend, and her eyes widened in panic. "Yang, wait, you didn't cross your-!"

Anything else Weiss was going to say was drowned out by a sharp, piercing sound, like the echo of glass shattering. For all of a second, a golden yellow glyph formed over Yang's palm, before expanding rapidly. The edge of the glyph shattered through the others, hitting all four girls in the stomach. It knocked the wind out of them, sending them to the floor.

As Yang crashed to the floor, throwing her hands out to catch herself, the oversized glyph faded away, peaking at the size of a dining room table. Everyone stared at the empty air in shock.

"Uh…" Yang droned in confusion. "What just happened?"

Weiss groaned, rubbing at the small bump the hallway wall had given her when she slammed into it. "You didn't cross your fingers. That's the part of the gesture that helps control size."

"Oh. My bad."

Weiss shot Yang a look, slightly annoyed. Then she slumped, smiling ruefully as she climbed to her feet. "It's okay. I did the same thing when I was first learning."

Yang blinked, then grinned. "Yeah, well... I did it, though! For a second there, I saw it."

"And felt it," Ruby moaned, holding one hand to her stomach while she rubbed her braced leg with the other. "Ow, ow, _ow_."

Yang winced, rushing to her sister's side. "Sorry, Sis."

As Yang helped Ruby back to her feet, Blake looked around at her Mates. _Disbelief, Excitement, Curiosity, Awe_ radiated from them all, matching her own feelings perfectly. She laughed lightly at the absurdity of it all. "We can all make glyphs." She said in disbelief.

"I think it's more than that," Ruby countered, leaning on Yang as the blonde took her crutch back from Penny. When everyone looked to her, Ruby clarified. "Think about it: We can all use Weiss' glyphs, but Yang was also able to use my superspeed. And Weiss, you said yesterday you think you used it too, didn't you?"

Weiss thought back to that moment, high above the Vale streets. "I'm… not sure, Ruby," She answered honestly. "I just know that what happened felt a lot like what Yang described."

Ruby nodded excitedly. "Well, if you two can use my Semblance, then Blake probably could too," She looked quickly at Blake, seeing the Faunus blink in surprise. "And we can all use Weiss'. So…" She started looking between Yang and Blake, practically vibrating with anticipation.

Yang's eyes widened at the same time Blake's did. "Maybe it extends to me and Yang." Blake finished.

Yang let out a near-manic laugh, a gleam in her eye that Weiss and Blake had only ever seen in Ruby. "Okay, we _need_ to figure this out. 'Cause if we can each use each others Semblances… hell, what if we can use more than one at the same time? Oh, we could kick so much-"

" _Let's_ calm down for a second, Yang," Weiss interrupted, placing a hand on Yang's shoulder. Truth be told, between Ruby's giddiness and Yang's enthusiasm, both she and Blake could feel the start of an adrenaline rush threatening to kick off. Trying to bring everyone back to reality, Weiss continued. "I agree we should test this further, but in case you've forgotten, we are waiting for a meeting with Professor Ozpin. Let's get this out of the way first, then we can spend the rest of the day… _experimenting_ with this."

Yang frowned down at her, her excited buzz dieing down quickly. "Man, nearly forgot about that." She crossed her arms with a scowl. "I hope this is over with soon. Now I have all these ideas."

"Same here, Yang," Ruby agreed, stars dancing in her eyes like she'd been handed the keys to a high-grade weapons factory.

 _ **Ding!**_

All eyes turned towards the elevator, some more surprised than others. The doors slid open, and Glynda Goodwitch stepped out, holding the door open. She looked over the seven teens, then nodded to herself. "It seems everyone is here. Professor Ozpin is ready for you all. We'll have to make two trips, given the size of the elevator. Team RWBY, if you would enter first."

Ruby looked to each member of her team, feeling a bout of _Apprehension_ from Blake and _Worry_ from Weiss. It was tempered by the _Confidence_ Yang exuded, who Ruby sent a thankful look towards. Giving Weiss and Blake an encouraging smile, Ruby pushed her crutches forward, leading them in.

As the group started towards the elevator, Neptune leaned over towards Sun. "So, if I heard that right, each of them basically has _four_ Semblances then, right?" He whispered.

Sun nodded, a bemused smile on his lips. "Sounds like. Kind of epic, ain't it?"

Neptune nodded back slowly. "Yeah, but… if we end up going against them..." He shot Sun a significant look. "We ain't winning the tournament, are we?"

Sun barked a laugh, getting an odd look from Blake. Unconcerned, he replied. "Oh, not a chance in hell." He grinned widely, an excited gleam in his eyes. "Gonna be a fun fight, though."

Neptune rolled his eyes at his friend's flippant attitude. Sun was still chuckling when the elevator doors slid shut.

Penny merely stared at the closed doors, head tilted to the side as the previous few minutes playing back in her mind. After a moment, she reached a conclusion. "I have chosen some very strange friends." She said with a nod and a smile.

* * *

 **A/n: Long-ass chapter and the meeting still hasn't started. I promise it will begin and conclude next chapter, plus we can get some actual siblings time with the Schnee sisters.**

 **For those wondering, the reason updates have been kind of weird the last few months is- drumroll, please- I bought my first house! Yes, I am currently in the process of boxing up my things and furnishing the place, and once I'm all moved in, hopefully, I will be able to dedicate fome actual time to writing this and a few other projects. Thank you all for being patient with me, and I hope to have some more content for you soon.**

 **Also, I put up the first LiLaL Q &A on my Tumblr page. Just a small taste of what I hope to do with it. Again, if you have any questions about the story, either leave them in a review or ask them on my Tumblr page, and I'll see if I can give you some answers. See you all either here or there!**


	39. Chapter 39: Adventures Aftermath

**Chapter 39: Adventures** **Aftermath**

As the elevator ascended, Ruby gave Blake a worried look, feeling her _Apprehension_. "Are you sure about this, Blake?" She whispered, mindful of Professor Goodwitch standing at the front of the elevator.

Blake turned to her, looking thoughtful. She took a deep breath, letting it back out slowly. "No," She admitted honestly. She gave Ruby a small smile, trying to at least look confident. "But… I promised myself that I won't run from my problems anymore. Ozpin wants to know why we fought Torchwick… and I'm going to tell him the truth."

"Hey," Yang said, looking back at them with a grin. "Don't sweat it, Blakey. Whatever happens, we got your back."

Weiss nodded in agreement, though her thoughts were elsewhere. _Winter never came back down from Ozpin's office. So she… oh, Dust, she's going to sit in on the meeting. She's going to here everything about Blake and how we're helping her with the White Fang, us meeting up with Penny… oh, no_. Weiss grimaced, biting her lip. _What if they ask what I was doing at the CCT? I'll have to tell Winter I stole from the company._

It suddenly hit Weiss how her life at Beacon must look to someone completely uninformed.

 _I've stolen highly confidential information from the most powerful company in the world. I've participated in a life-or-death battle against a piece of experimental military technology. I'm in a polyamorous relationship with three girls, two of whom are siblings. And, due to that relationship, I'm apparently capable of using four different Semblances._

The thought of Winter learning all these things in rapid succession sent Weiss' anxiety skyrocketing. Yet, just one look at the warm, concerned faces around her, and she couldn't bring herself to regret any of it. This was her life now, and she was happy with it.

 _I just hope Winter understands that_.

Before they knew it, the elevator doors slid open, and they stepped into Professor Ozpin's office. The morning sun streamed through its many windows, bathing the room with warm light.

In the middle of the room, Ozpin himself sat behind his desk. He stared intently at the various papers and charts littering the desk's surface, an unreadable expression on his face. To their surprise, he wasn't alone.

Weiss blinked, not expecting to see General Ironwood standing behind Ozpin, leaning over his shoulder as he pointed to one of the charts, speaking in a low voice she couldn't make out. Whatever he was saying must have been important, given the deep crease in his brow.

Beside her, Blake drew a shrp breath. _Shock_ and _Fear_ made each girl turn towards the Faunus. Blake was staring at Ironwood with wide eyes, her cat ears pinned back. After a few seconds of confusion, Weiss guessed at what was wrong.

 _Ironwood has been opposing the White Fang for years,_ she thought. _So just last year… oh, Blake._ Weiss tried to imagine what it would be like to suddenly find yourself in the same room with someone who, until recently, was not only your enemy, but the leader of your enemy. The closest she could think off was being face to face with Adam Taurus… though, that potential fear was offset with an irrational desire for just that situation, if only for the chance to return just a _fraction_ of the pain he'd inflicted on Blake.

As Blake's _Fear_ increased steadily, Weiss quickly grabbed Blake's hand, holding it in her own. The suddenness of it startled Blake enough to break her train of thought, making her turn towards the heiress. Weiss gave her a comforting smile, squeezing her hand lightly. On Blake's other side, Yang nudged with her elbow, flashing a grin. Blake smiled back at them, thankful.

A clearing throat caught their attention, and Weiss winced at the sound. Winter was looking at the group, standing off to the side away from the desk. Given the calculating stare she was giving Weiss, she had watched the whole interaction. Weiss understood what Ruby had meant earlier in the hallway. She'd give anything to know what her sister was feeling behind her glacial facade.

Winter's cleared throat also served to gain Ozpin's attention, he and Ironwood looking up from the paperwork, Ironwood straightening up to his full height. Ozpin gave his usual small smile to the group, calmly gathering the papers on his desk into a nice, neat pile. "Ah, Team RWBY. Right on time. I assume Professor Goodwitch is bring up the others?"

As one, the team turned back towards the elevator, finding the elevator doors closed and Goodwitch nowhere to be found. They hadn't even heard her get back on it! With a small frown, Ruby said, "Yes, sir."

Ozpin nodded. "Good. Once they arrive, the meeting will commence, and we'll try to get this all settled so you all can enjoy your Sunday."

To team Ruby's surprise, Ironwood's eyes darted to Ozpin, almost in disapproval. He said nothing, though.

They only had to wait a few minutes for the elevator to open again, Sun, Neptune, and Penny taking their places at Ruby's side. Sun swallowed nervously when he saw both headmasters, while Neptune merely grimaced, resigning himself to just how screwed the were. Penny ducked her head when she met Ironwood's eyes, quickly looking away when he frowned at her.

Ironwood opened his mouth to say something, only for Ozpin to shoot him a stern look. The two headmasters held each other's gaze making everyone in the room tense. After a few seconds, Ironwood relented, folding his arms with an exasperated sigh. Ozpin smiled a half-grin, turning back towards the students. "Gentlemen, Penny. Thank you for joining us." He paused for a moment as Goodwitch walked around his desk, whispering as she handed him her scroll. His brow raised a fraction as he looked at it. He nodded to Goodwitch in thanks, setting the scroll aside.

He looked over the assembled students, making a point to meet each of their eyes. Penny winced when he looked at her, only able to keep eye contact due to her constant teachings about respecting authority. To her delighted surprise, and the relief of all those around her, Ozpin's expression didn't change when looked to her, keeping the same warm, wry smile that he'd given to the other teens. Penny smiled back, and Ruby let out a small sigh of relief, drawing curious stares from her teammates.

Satisfied with what he saw, Ozpin laced his fingers in front of him, smile still in place. "Good morning students." He greeted, his tone no different than any other day. He motioned towards Ironwood as he said, "If you don't mind, as General Ironwood has been dealing with the aftermath of your little adventure last night, he will be sitting in on our meeting. Now," He leaned forward, propping his elbows up on the desk and threading his hands, a stern glean in his eyes. "Ladies, gentlemen; please start from the beginning. How did this series of events come to pass?"

There was an awkward moment of silence as the teens looked to each other waiting for one of them to speak first. Blake caught Ruby's eye, a silent question in her silver gaze, and saw Yang give her an encouraging nod. Blake took a deep breath, bracing herself. She opened her eyes, stepping forward. "Sir… It was my idea to start with. I wanted to know what the White Fang were up to…"

* * *

 **One Hour Later**

"Given that we were merely assisting Team RWBY with their mission, once we regrouped to fight the Paladin, I turned control of Neptune and myself over to Ruby…"

Ruby grimaced as she listened to Sun speak, trying her hardest to ignore her throbbing arms. In the last hour, she'd heard the same story told at least three times, once by herself, Weiss, and Penny, then from Yang and Neptune, and now from Sun and Blake. She knew _why_ it was necessary; the headmaster's wanted to know every detail about the fight from every angle. But that didn't change just how boring it all was!

Ruby had been a bundle of nerves at the start of it. When it quickly became apparent that Blake was going to try and have all the blame heaped onto herself, Ruby had leapt in to clarify that, no, the entire mess was a team effort. Of course, Ozpin asked her to explain.

Thus began the disjointed retelling of the previous day, as each group stumbled through exactly what happened, the partners-for-the-day having to fill in the blanks whenever one of them got stuck. All in all, it was pretty complete, right down to Blake explaining, in detail when prompted, why her agenda with the White Fang was so strong.

To everyone's relief, while Ironwood and Winter been shocked by the mentions of Adam Taurus and certain White Fang related events, Ozpin, and Goodwitch for that matter, had barely batted an eye. The cryptic Headmaster simply gave Blake an understanding smile, waving for her to continue. He'd met Ironwood's incredulous gaze evenly, almost challengingly, and the General soon relented, letting the matter drop for the moment.

However, a one thing remained unsaid: their Semblances. Through some unsaid understanding, Team RWBY made no mention whatsoever of bizarre change in ability. Ruby wasn't sure why, but the thought of telling the three school leaders in the room about their potential Affinity, and therefore their relationship, made her gut twist. It wasn't fear, not really. She doubted Ozpin or Goodwitch would take issue their status, but she didn't know about Ironwood. She wasn't sure how the man would react, or what he'd do with such information.

Plus, things seemed tense enough between the Headmasters. Every so often, one of the teens would say or describe something that would made Ironwood go to speak, only for Ozpin to silence him with stern look. Other times, Ironwood would look towards Ozpin when something was said, as if to check Ozpin's reaction, then frown when Ozpin did nothing.

Ruby was pulled from her thoughts when she heard Blake's retelling come to a close. "...then we got onto the freeway, meeting up with the others."

Ozpin nodded to her. "And we already know how events went from there. Thank you Ms. Belladonna." Grasping his cane, Beacon's Headmaster rose to his feet. "Well, it sounds like we have a fairly complete picture of what happened last night. Though, I believe the General has a few questions still?" He turned towards Ironwood expectantly.

The General met his gaze, looking slightly annoyed, but nodded nonetheless. "A few," He confirmed, his eyes skimming from Penny to Blake.

Ozpin's smile looked suspiciously like a smirk. "I'll admit, I have one or two myself. But, by all means." Ozpin gave a small wave towards the students, giving Ironwood the floor.

Ironwood nodded to him, the turned his gaze to one teen in particular. "Ms. Belladonna."

Blake's shrank under the General's gaze, her cat ears pinning back. The old instinct to _run, run, run_ was flared up, her legs tensing at the temptation to bolt. She fought it down, helped in no small part by the _Strength, Calm, Protectiveness_ washing over her from either side. Still, she couldn't help the small shudder that ran down her spine.

Ironwood raised a brow at her uncomfortableness, saying, "Young lady, I hope you appreciate the position you've put me in." He ignored the curious and concerned looks all the students were sending Blake's way, Penny included. He continued. "While I've encountered defected White Fang members in the past, none have been as high ranking as you. With the sheer amount criminal action you've admitted to today, I would be well within my rights to have you arrested."

As Ironwood expected, his words drew a strong reaction from the surrounding teens. What he hadn't expected was, not only how strong that reaction would be, but from who it came from.

The boys looked shocked and worried, Sun just barely stopping from saying something very insulting to the General. Ruby's eyes widened, gripping her crutches so tight her knuckles turned white. After the shock of Ironwood's words faded, Yang's face darkened, her eyes blazing red in an instant. All fairly expected, given what little he knew about the teens. But the two exceptions nearly made Ironwood's mouth fall open.

The moment the word "arrested" passed Ironwood's lips, two things happened. The first was Penny's eyes widening, looking quickly between the General and Blake. She almost looked… conflicted. A far cry from the respectful understanding he'd expected.

The other was subtler, but even more shocking. Weiss' eyes widened just like the others, but almost immediately, they hardened, the crystal blue orbs turning to ice. It was a look Ironwood had seen several time on Winter, though only for one reason: when she was angry. Even more concerning was the slight twitch of the younger Schnee's hand, her fingers forming a familiar gesture. Though nothing happened, the General knew that all it would take was a quick pulse of aura, and there'd be a massive glyph between him and Blake Belladonna.

 _She… she's ready to fight me_. Having the thought didn't make it feel any less insane.A Schnee, the heiress of their entire company, was ready to defend a former White Fang member. Their former second-in-command, no less, against the leader of the entire Atlassian Military.

Ironwood shot Ozpin a look, though this time Ozpin didn't look back. He just kept smiling at the teens, only now with _pride_ in his eyes. Ironwood glanced at Winter, but she didn't notice. Her attention was fully on her sister, staring from her face to her hand with rarely seen shock in her eyes.

Ironwood fought the urge to groan. His train of thought derailed, Ironwood turned his attention back to Blake. "However," He said slowly, meeting Blake's fearful eyes. "Given that you are enrolled here at Beacon… and that Professor Ozpin has not reacted to this information in the slightest…" Ozpin's only reaction to his accusatory tone was a raised eyebrow. "I can only assume that he was aware of all this beforehand, and will vouch for your credibility."

"Right on both counts, General."

Ironwood sighed in exasperation. This was payback for building Penny, he just knew it. "Still, Ms. Belladonna, I want some assurance that this is not all some elaborate ploy by the White Fang. Such things have happened before."

Blake looked at her shoes, guilt palpable.

"I need to know that we can trust you to walk around this city unsupervised. Where do your loyalties lie?"

Blake looked back at the General, her ears dipping low. Her eyes lowered in thought. After a moment, she said, "Sir… my loyalties lie with Menagerie. They lie with my family. They lie with every person, Faunus or otherwise, who wishes for a better world… for everyone, not just themselves." She met Ironwood's gaze, her eyes sad, but determined. "I... don't believe Adam's White Fang is among that number. Not anymore."

Ironwood held her stare evenly. Her answer wasn't quite what he was expecting. It hadn't been a lie, he could tell that, but it wasn't as clear-cut an answer as he'd hoped. Her friends seemed to okay of it, though, given the approving smiles sent her way, along with a supportive thump on the back from Yang.

Ironwood glanced at Winter, asking for her input. All his second could offer was a miniscule shrug, her eyes still zeroed in on her younger sister. Ironwood sighed. "I suppose I can accept that," he said begrudgingly. When the teens looked to him in surprise, he added. "Bare in mind, I'll still be keeping an eye on you, just in case."

That earned him a scowl from Yang, but Blake simply nodded in understanding. "I'd expect nothing less, sir."

Ironwood nodded in return, letting the matter drop. "Now, as for my second question…" His gaze focused on Penny, the android straightening under his scrutiny. To the room at large, he said, "There is the matter of you all knowing Penny's status as a synthetic being."

Several eyes turned towards said synthetic, Penny ducking her head at the attention. Seeing how uncomfortable she was, Ruby took a wobbly step forward, her crutches creaking. "Is us knowing what she is some kind of problem, sir?"

At her tone, Ironwood's brow raced to his hairline. Ruby sounded... genuine. As if she really wasn't sure if there was a problem or not. "In a manner of speaking, Miss Rose," He said slowly. "Penny's existence as synthetic was meant to be kept secret from everyone save myself, Specialist Winter, and a select group of scientists involved in her development. While it appears there were certain individuels I should have kept in the know… " No one missed the not-so-subtle glance Ozpin sent Ironwood's way. "...Professor Ozpin and I both agree that Penny's origin should remain a secret from the public."

Ruby frowned, which only grew when Ozpin nodded once in agreement.

"But.. why?" She couldn't help but ask. "What's wrong with her-?"

"Ruby…"

Everyone once again looked towards Penny, who was focusing on Ruby. There was a small frown on her lips. "As happy as I am that you accept what I am, all of you," She looked around the room, a warm smiling forming as she met each teen's eyes. Her smile faded quickly as she looked down, still addressing Ruby. "I'm afraid that most people would find my existence… unsettling."

Ruby could only shake her head, not understanding. Ozpin then spoke, drawing their attention. "Miss Rose," He said to Ruby. "For all the greatness we have achieved, the fact remains that we are a flawed people. One of those flaws is a fear of that which we don't understand. A robotic being which can pass for human in every way? That is a rather significant unknown."

Ironwood nodded in agreement. "That's why, none of you are to breath a word about Penny's origin. For the time being, she must remain a secret. Do you all understand?"

Each teen gave some form of agreement, save Ruby. She kept frowning at the ground, her brow furrowed in thought. It wasn't until Weiss elbowed her in the side that she looked up, meeting Ironwood's eyes. Her frowned deepened, but she reluctantly nodded.

"Good," Ironwood said, nodding in return. He looked towards Ozpin. "That's all I have for the group."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow at him, noting how his eyes flicked towards Penny. Ignoring it for the moment, he instead faced the group, smiling wryly. "Well, as for myself, I have less of a question and more of a statement." He walked to the front of his desk, scooping up the scroll Glynda had given him in the process. As he tapped across its surface, he said, "While I am impressed by your loyalty towards each other, especially that you are all such a… _diverse_ group," His eyes flicked around, focusing briefly on Weiss and Penny. "The fact remains that you put yourselves into a situation far beyond your abilities."

"But," Yang cried, sounding insulted. "Sir, we-"

"Are teenagers, Miss Xiao-Long," Ozpin interrupted, giving Yang a hard stare that made the blonde shrink back. "Hunters and Huntresses in-training. Now, I won't deny your are skilled, prodigies in fact. But raw talent and fortuitous circumstances will only take you so far. You are here to learn, not only to fight and protect, but to survive. Tell me: When you all set out to gather information last night, did any of you think you would end up confronting a threat such as that Paladin?"

Awkward silence and bashful looks answered him. Then Sun asked, "Sir, how the heck could we have prepared for that?"

Ozpin smiled at the Monkey-Faunus, nodding in approval. "Precisely, Mr. Wukong. You couldn't have. However, preparation is only one half of the issue. The other is your reaction to unforeseen circumstances. In your retelling, I noticed that the first thing you all did once the Paladin came off the freeway was to immediately continue fighting it. Did any of you consider calling for help, or even consider that you might be outmatched?" The answering silence, coupled with Weiss' pinking cheeks and Yang's small scowl, earned a rueful chuckle from him. "Children… while I applaud your enthusiasm and understand your reasoning, I cannot condone you charging into a fight you are so underprepared for, especially when other options are available. Doing so can lead to loss of life…" He glanced briefly at Ironwood, smiling slyly. "... or _limb_."

Ironwood stared back unamused, unconsciously flexing his right hand.

"Therefore, I can see only one course of action." His eyes hardened, his lips forming a tight line as he stared down the teens. Dread filled each of them, their imaginations running away with them. Weiss thought of expulsion, having to face her father's wrath at having failed, while Blake's mind was filled with handcuffs and iron bars. Ruby and Yang looked towards their Mates with worry, wanting to reach out and drive away their _Fear_ and _Worry_. As it was, they had their own thoughts on what Ozpin had in store for them, though of a much tamer sort.

"Detention."

That was it.

Yang slumped where she stood, holding herself back from hanging her head. Ruby had no such issue, her crutches the only thing keeping her shoulders level. Seeing Weiss and Blake visibly relax, feeling their _Relief,_ was a small comfort, though.

Ironwood blinked at Ozpin, furrowing his brow. "Detention?" He asked, clearly confused. "That's it?"

To the side, Winter appeared stunned. She looked between Ozpin and the group, baffled eyes focusing on Weiss, who could only offer a miniscule shrug in response.

Ozpin gave his counterpart a significant look. "I believe it more than fitting. Foolhardy as their adventure may have been, no harm has been done on their part. They've committed no crime, caused no damage to themselves or others, save Miss Polendina and Miss Rose, both of whom are on the fast track to recovery. I'd say that a couple weeks detention would be a fair punishment."

"Weeks!?" Yang exclaimed, looking positively appalled. She winced under the reprimanding glare Weiss sent her, made all the stronger by Winter doing the same.

Ozpin merely smiled serenely. "Yes, Miss Xiao-Long. Two weeks to be exact. After your usual class schedule, you will all, as a group, assist the whichever teacher requires assistance for the day with their various tasks. I'm sure Professor Goodwitch can determine who will require assistance each day."

Glynda nodded, looking down at her scroll. "I can start making a list. I believe the maintenance workers could use help moving our latest shipment of training bots." She looked up from the screen at Weiss, fixing the heiress with a flat stare. Again, Weiss' cheeks reddened as she looked down in embarrassment.

"Um, sir?" Neptune asked, raising his hand hesitantly. "What about me and Sun?"

"You two will be serving detention with Team RWBY." Before either boy could protest (which, given Sun's dropped jaw, he was about to), Ozpin held up his hand. "I've already spoken to Professor Lionheart, and he agreed with me on including the both of you in their punishment.. He mentioned you by name, Mr. Wukong. Something about learning to stay out of trouble?"

Sun's eyes widened, then he crossed his arms with a scowl, pointedly ignoring Neptune's accusing glare.

"And… me, sir?" Penny asked quietly.

Ozpin gave Penny a calculating look. "Your punishment, Miss Polendina, is not up to me. General?"

Ironwood frowned as Ozpin turned towards him. There was a look in Ozpin's eye, unmistakable in its meaning. With a sigh, Ironwood looked to Penny. "If you'll take her, Oz, it seems like a fair punishment."

Ozpin smiled wryly, nodding. "It's decided then. Penny, you, along with Sun and Neptune, will join Team RWBY after their normal class schedule. You will be sent a message as to where and with who later."

Penny nodded dutifully, her shoulders relaxing as she fought a small smile.

"Well, that's about all I have on the matter. Though, on a somewhat related note," His dark eyes focused on the four team members. "As both your teacher, and you're technical guardian while you are within these walls, I feel I would be remiss if I didn't mention this. Team RWBY," he said, stepping right in front of the team. "What you do in your personal lifes is no business of mine. So long as what you do does not interfere with your studies, and breaks no laws, I take no issue with what you do," He peered over his spectacles, giving each girl a knowing look, eyes darting towards their necks. "Or with whom."

The moment his meaning registered, each member of Team RWBY gained blushes of varying intensity, Weiss' being the deepest once she saw Winter's intent stare.

"That being said," Ozpin continued, tapping at his scroll once again. "Sometimes the _result_ of my students personal lives become rather hard to ignore." He turned the scroll around, holding it out to Weiss.

After a moment of surprise, Weiss took the scroll from the Headmaster's hand, aware of her teammates peering over her shoulder in curiosity. On the screen, a video was playing. From the washed out colors and the timestamp in the corner, it looked to be from a security camera. It showed a view of Beacon's airfield, a Bullhead lazily lifting off from the ground as students milled around the grounds.

The video suddenly zoomed in on a seemingly empty piece of sky over the distant cityscape. Weiss gulped when the picture sharpened, showing a small figure decked out in white, seemingly running on air high above the buildings.

Before Weiss could react, she sucked in a startled gasp, as did her team around her. One moment, the small figure was running on air. The next, it was gone. A streak of white shot off into the distance, flecks of white dancing in the breeze behind it.

"Weiss…" Ruby breathed, her jaw slack. "You…"

As one, the team looked back up at Ozpin. With merely a raised eyebrow, the Headmaster gently took the scroll back. "I won't pry," He assured, his lips pulled into a kind but firm smile. "But I will ask you all to remember that this school and its faculty is at your disposal, should you require assistance regarding training or the like. You merely need to ask."

When it became apparent from her reddened face that Weiss wouldn't, or rather, couldn't reply, Ruby shakely said, "T-Thank you, sir. We'll keep that in mind."

"Very good," Ozpin said, walking back to his desk. Winter eyed his scroll as he passed it back to Goodwitch, curiosity burning in her gaze. Facing the group as a whole, Ozpin said, "Now, before I dismiss you all, does anyone have anything else to say?"

"There is one thing, actually," Goodwitch said, drawing all eyes to her. "Ms. Xiao-Long?"

Yang tensed slightly, expecting the worse. "Yes?"

Goodwitch taped at her scroll. "We received a message from the authorities sorting out the wreckage from last night's events. One of the vehicles was registered in your name. A black and yellow motorcycle?"

Yang perked up in an instant. "You found Bumblebee? Awesome! Where is it?"

"Impounded. I have the location, but… there is an issue."

Yang frowned. "What is it?"

In answer, Goodwitch flipped her scroll around, showing an image of a Bumblebee.

Or rather… what was left of it.

Yang's mouth fell open at the mangled remains of beloved motorcycle. Sun hissed, muttering. "Damn, that hurts just to look at."

Seeing Yang's distress, Goodwitch asked. "I don't suppose you have insurance?"

Yang could only hang her head. "My bike…" She whimpered pitifully. Blake patted her on the back in sympathy.

Ozpin shook his head slightly at the display, before asking, "Anyone else?" After a few silent seconds ticked by, Ozpin smiled. "Then I believe we are done her. Ladies, gentlemen, you are dismissed. Expect a message detailing your detentions by tomorrow morning."

The group of teens relaxed as one, quickly making their way to the elevator, Blake having to pull Yang by the arm as the blonde continued mourning her fallen comrade. Before they could get on, however, Ozpin said, "Penny? A moment before you leave, please."

Penny paused mid-step, looking back to see Ozpin and Ironwood watching her expectantly. From the corner of her eye, she could see RWBY, along with the rest of the teens, eyeing her in concern. Penny gave them a reassuring smile, nodding to Ruby. "I'll see you all later then, friends."

Ruby frowned at first, eyes flicking towards the Headmasters, but she managed to return Penny's smile. "See you soon, Penny." The others gave similar farewells, Yang giving her a small shoulder punch as she passed her. Sun even surprising Penny by grinning brightly, saying that he wanted to spar sometime.

As Penny turned to face the Headmasters, the other six piled into the elevator, just bary managing to fit them all. As the doors started to slide shut, however, a pale hand held them in place.

"Weiss," Winter said, her tone icy. "I'd like to speak to you. Meet me at the airfield in a half-hours time."

Weiss faltered under her sister's sharp blue eyes. It was only the sudden burst of _Confidence_ from Yang that kept her standing straight, keeping the quiver from her voice. "I'll meet you there."

Winter nodded sharply, stepping back to let the elevator close. "Good. We have much to discuss."

Once they were descending, Yang couldn't' help but comment. "Okay, I take it back about her being cool. She'd downright frigid."

Some part of Weiss knew she should be angry, either at the insult to her sister or just to Yang's bad pun. As it was, she could only shake her head. "Actually, she's being a lot nicer then I thought she'd be."

"Really?" Yang questioned. She let out a low whistle. "Then I'd hate to see her mad."

A few seconds passed, the air filled with cheesy elevator music.

"So," Sun said, breaking the silence. "We're not arrested, and we're not expelled. What now?"

Blake let out a deep sigh, crossing her arms. "I don't know. We didn't get much from Torchwick, and now that Ironwood's 'keeping an eye' on me…"

Yang chuckled humorlessly. "No tracking down more leads. Not for a while, at least."

"We still have the information I got from the SDC," Weiss said. "We could start sifting through that, once we get new scrolls. Maybe there's something useful there."

Ruby nodded sullenly. "Sounds like a plan. Not much else I can do at the moment." She frowned down at her crutches. She could already feel a tingling in her legs, unrelated to her aura healing. She wanted to _move_.

"It's just for a couple days, Rubes." Yang gently tousled Ruby's hair, making the crippled speedster grumble to herself.

The elevator dinged, and Sun was already moving before the doors fully opened. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry. I heard about this neat ramen stand downtown. Anyone wanna come wi- _gah!_ "

"No," Neptune said firmly, pulling Sun to a stop by his tail. Not hard enough to cause pain, but enough to make Sun nearly fall over. When Sun turned around, looking betrayed, Neptune finished, "First, we are going to call Sage and Scarlet, and _you_ are going to explain to them how we managed to get detention, at a completely different school, not even a day after you came back from suspension!"

Sun groaned, but a stern look from Neptune silenced him. " _Fine_. See you girls later than." Sun trudged sullenly after Neptune, the two bickering with each other as they moved down the hall.

Yang and Ruby laughed as they watched the boys disappear around the corner, Blake and Weiss sporting amused smiles. Once the moment passed, Weiss' shoulders slumped. "I guess I'll get ready to meet with Winter."

"Do you want one of us to come with you?" Ruby asked.

Weiss smiled at her, but shook her head. "It's probably best I go alone. Talking with Winter is… _difficult,_ if you're not used to her."

"If you're sure," Blake said, concerned. "I'm going to head to the library and see if I overlooked there anything about Mating. Hopefully I can find something to help us with our… Affinity."

Yang grinned a little at her hesitation. "Kind of freaky, isn't it?"

Blake chuckled lowly. "To say the least."

Before she could walk away, Weiss blinked. "Oh, Blake!" Blake turned to her in question. "I just remembered! I bumped into Velvet yesterday. She said she wanted to ask you something."

Blake nodded. "Okay, I'll see if I can find her later."

After a quick hug and peck on the cheek (which Yang quickly turned into a full on kiss, much to Weiss' embarrassment) Ruby and Yang watched their girlfriends go. Once gone, Yang smiled down at her little sister. "Guess it's just you and me then, Sis. Got any plans? 'Cause otherwise, I need to see if I can salvage Bumblebee." She scowled at the ground, crossing her arms. "Like, at all."

"Actually, there is something I want to do," Ruby said slowly. "I had an idea after seeing that security footage."

Yang perked up instantly. "You mean Weiss blasting off into distance?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. I want to try something. Though, first, I want to stop by our room." She looked down at herself, still dressed in her Pj's.

Yang tilted her head as they started towards their dorm. "Okay. What exactly do you want to do?"

"Well," Ruby grunted, her crutches clanking with every step. "Remember when we were little, and you'd carry me around piggyback?"

Yang blinked. Slowly, a large grin spread across her face. "Yeah?"

"Something like that," Ruby said, an excited gleam in her eye. "But faster."

* * *

 **A/n: Next chapter, sisterly bonding on two fronts, plus a quick meeting between a bunny and a cat… maybe. We'll see how long the chapter gets.**

 **Geez… one-thousand reviews… I will be real honest, I did not think my crazy little crack-fic would turn out to be so popular. Thank you, all of you. The momentum ain't slowing down, I got a hell of a lot planned out, and with Volume 5 starting next month, I'm sure to have a whole bunch new material to work with.**

 **Though, on that note; if anyone from Rooster Teeth is reading this, by some freaky chance… please don't break my heart anymore. :/ Can we have the fun times back, please?**


	40. Chapter 40: Sisters, Sisters

**Chapter 40: Sisters, Sisters**

 **Beacon's Airfield**

"Well, it was quite simple, really. We all had a mutual attraction for each other… um, except Yang and Ruby, of course… so… once we realized that, we… ugh, no, that won't work."

Weiss massaged her forehead as she paced back and forth in front of the airfield's stone fence, mindful of anyone being close enough to hear her mutterings. She'd been waiting for fifteen minutes so far, and she'd taken every second to think of how she was going to explain… well, _everything_ , to Winter.

It wasn't going well.

"You see, it took us all by surprise. I was hesitant at first, naturally, but, after speaking with them, I...oh, _Dust damnit!_ "

Weiss scoffed to herself. "Maybe I should just act like Yang and be blunt as a hammer." Jokingly, she scowled at nothing and gestured around wildly, deepening her voice in a mockery of Yang's tone. "Winter, I love Ruby, Blake, and Yang, and that's all there is too it. I don't care what you or Father or the board thinks. They make me happy, I'm going to stay with them, and damn the consequences!" Her fake speech over, Weiss let her arms fall, chuckling to herself. "As if…"

"I'd buy it."

"GAH!" Weiss spun around and looked up, one hand covering her thudding heart, the other going from Myrtenaster. She relaxed instantly when she saw who'd snuck up on her, letting out a relieved sigh. "Blake…"

Blake smiled from her perch on the fence, sitting daintily with one leg over the other. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay," Weiss said, feeling her heartbeat slow. She frowned in confusion. "I thought you were going to the library?"

"The librarian said I'd already looked at all the books on Mating that Beacon has to offer. I thought I'd browse around Vale for a bit, check the bookstores." Blake lept down to the ground, barely making a sound. "I saw you pacing around, and felt your frustration." She frowned. "You're really _that_ nervous about speaking with your sister?"

Weiss let out a huff. "Is it that obvious?"

Blake merely raised an eyebrow. She tapped the side of her head, a small smile on her lips.

Weiss rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Of course," She muttered in faux-annoyance. She shared a smile with Blake, before letting her face fall. She huffed. "I didn't expect Winter to find all that out at once. Last time we spoke, I was the perfect little heiress, deluded in thinking I'd be the number one student and a Team Leader by sheer virtue of being me. Now…" She let laugh of disbelief. "I'm not Team Leader. I struggle to keep up with Ren and Pyrrha in classes. My entire viewpoint on Faunus and our company has been upended. And I'm in love with a Cat-Faunus, a hot-headed bruiser, and a hyperactive sugar addict. Not to mention all the reckless rule-breaking we did last night." She paused for a moment, realizing how her words might sound. A quick glance at Blake's amused smirk relived her, but also drained her of her fire. She shrugged uselessly. "I just… where do I even _begin_ to make her understand?"

Blake took a moment to look Weiss over, from the slump in her shoulders to the helplessness in her eyes. She smiled softly. "Well, first things first, take a breath." When Weiss' face pinched in confusion, Blake reached out to brush a stray hair back behind her ear. "If you keep worrying like this, you're going to make this talk going bad a self-fulfilling prophecy."

Weiss huffed, but leaned into Blake's touch a little. "You're one to talk."

Blake grinned, though her expression seemed strained. "Exactly. And I didn't speak to my parents for almost a year…" She looked down, her smile slipping. "...for nothing."

Weiss' eyes widened a little, filling with sympathy. "Blake…"

Blake silenced her with a small shake of her head, her smile quickly coming back. "Just… don't get all worked up over the what-ifs."

Weiss stared at her for a moment, then let out a sigh. "Easier said than done."

Blake's smile widened a little, her cat-ear flicking in the breeze.. "Believe me, I know."

Weiss rolled her eyes again, though she couldn't stop a grin of her own from forming. "Oh, just get going before Winter shows up. Isn't there a bookstore calling your name right now?"

Blake laughed a little. Then, to Weiss' surprise, she leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. "Let us know how it goes," She whispered softly into Weiss' ear. "Okay?"

Weiss froze, and for a brief moment, she felt the urge to do something that… well, that Yang or Ruby would have no hesitation doing. Almost as if she could hear said sisters cheering her on, Weiss acted on her impulse.

Blake jumped slightly when she felt Weiss' lips on her own, but quickly relaxed into the kiss, her eyes sliding shut as her ears drooped in contentment.

The moment lasted for a few seconds before they both reluctantly pulled away. Her cheeks tinted pink, Weiss smiled bashfully. "I-I will." She breathed quietly, answering Blake's question.

Blake smiled widely. "Okay. Good luck with your sister." She gave Weiss' shoulder a quick squeeze, then started towards a Bullhead on the far side of the airfield. "And remember: breathe."

"Right," Weiss said, watching the Cat-Faunus walk away. "Breathe." As Blake moved out of earshot, Weiss shook her head, letting out a humorous scoff as she willed the heat away from her face. "We have a moment like _that_ and she tells me to breathe." She smiled gently as she watched Blake speak with the Bullhead pilot.

"Well, I suppose that's one question answered."

At the sound of the cool voice, Weiss' eyes shot wide, her head snapping around so fast it hurt. Winter was standing just behind her, looking over her shoulder towards Blake. Her lips were pressed into a firm line.

"Winter!" Weiss shouted in shock. "You…" Ice filled her veins as she followed Winter's line of sight, seeing Blake get onto the Bullhead before it lifted off. She looked back at Winter, her face pale. "Did… did you see…?"

"The rather intimate moment you just had with Miss Belladonna in this _very_ public location?" Winter raised a curved brow over unreadable eyes. "Yes. Yes I did."

Heat rushed back to Weiss' cheeks, a look of fear on her face. Her head snapped around wildly, looking for anyone nearby staring at her. To her relief, none of the students in the area we're looking her way, though with how long she and Blake had been standing around, that might not mean anything.

"I...I…" Weiss stammered, looking back up at her sister.

Winter merely stared down at her, eyebrow still raised. With a deep sigh, she started walking away, towards the opposite end of the airfield. "Come along, Weiss."

Weiss blinked, startled by Winter's lack of reaction. "Wha… what…?"

Winter glanced back at her. "I've made a lunch appointment for us at the Crystal Aurora. We can have our... _discussion_ there." Without another word, she continued towards a stationary Bullhead, the pilot of the craft jumping to work when he noticed her coming near.

Weiss watched her go. She sighed deeply, her shoulders slumping. _This is going to be a disaster,_ she thought as she fell into step with her sister.

 _Calm. Confidence._

Weiss paused, feeling the cool emotions spread through her. A smile formed on her lips. _Well,_ she thought as she stepped into the Bullhead. _At least I'm not facing it alone._

* * *

 **Beacon Academy, Entrance to The Emerald Forest**

On the back side of Beacon, where the pavement ended, a large chain link fence stretched out, covering the distance around the school's border. Steel poles were posted every thirty yards or so, security cameras panning back and forth across the tree line just past the fence, on the lookout for any Grimm that may wander too close to the school. A wide dirt path winded from the school to the fence, towards a large open gate plastered with warning signs.

This was the sight that met Yang and Ruby as the blonde walked up the path, Ruby hanging comfortably off her back. "Well," Yang said, taking in the fence. "We're here."

Ruby stared into the unassuming woods, feeling nervous for the first time since they left the dorm. While students were technically allowed into the Emerald Forest for independent training, it was usually advised for the younger students to be escorted by a teacher or a team of upperclassmen, lest they encounter some of the forests more irritable Grimm deeper in.

Ruby swallowed at the thought. Clinging a little tighter to Yang's neck, she asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Yang, picking up on Ruby's sudden _Hesitance_ and _Worry_ , looked over her shoulder with a reassuring grin. "No backing out now, Ruby. I'm looking forward to this."

Ruby frowned slightly. "If you're sure."

"Rubes, come on! This was your idea!"

"I know!" Ruby said, pouting. "I'm just… I'm starting to remember what I went through when we were first figuring out my Semblance…"

"And I was there for all of it," Yang finished. She leaned her head to the side, bumping it softly against Ruby's. "Remember? If anyone has a shot at learning your Semblance, it's me." She smirked. "Relax, Ruby. We'll be fine. _I'll_ be fine."

Ruby was quiet for a moment, then propped her chin up on Yang's shoulder. "Okay," She replied, a slight smile on her lips. "Say the rules back to me."

Yang rolled her eyes, convinced Ruby was enjoying this odd role reversal. "'Listen to my heartbeat, alternate between looking at the ground and up ahead, remember to breathe.'" She smirked again. "Same as they were when _I_ made _you_ keep repeating them. Now, did you remember the goods?"

Ruby's smile grew, patting the white duffle bag she'd borrowed from Weiss' luggage. "All set." She took a deep breath. "Whenever you're ready."

Yang's grin turned slightly manic. She hunched slightly, her legs tensing as she gripped Ruby's legs against her sides. She looked out into the seemingly tranquil forest, then closed her eyes.

The world turned silent, the only sounds being that of the birds chirping and the distant roar of the bustling school. Ruby waited as the seconds ticked by, more than a little curious about how this would end. Softly, just as they'd agreed on at the dorm, she pressed her fingers against the side of Yang's neck. She could feel Yang's heartbeat beneath her touch, strong and calm.

Ten seconds passed, and Ruby was wondering if she should maybe say something. Then, to her shock, she felt it. Just beneath Yang's skin, she could feel a slight buzz, like her whole form was trembling. As the trembling grew stronger, Yang's heartbeat sped up, slowly at first, but soon it was hammering away, faster and faster, far beyond were a normal person's should go. Yet, Yang's face betrayed nothing, remaining perfectly calm.

Ruby's eyes widened in child-like wonder, a smile cemented on her face. She tightened her grip. Very quietly, she whispered in Yang's ear. "Yang…"

Yang's lavender eyes opened, shining with unbound energy.

" _Run._ "

Had anyone been watching the sisters, all they would have seen was Yang's whole body shift forward slightly, then completely vanish. A streak of yellow light blasted into the Emerald Forest, leaving in its wake only a cloud of dust, leaves, yellow rose petals, and the triumphant shout of two ecstatic sisters.

* * *

 **The Crystal Aurora, Vale's City Center**

Weiss smiled into her drink, the pure _Joy_ and _Excitement_ bursting from whatever Ruby and Yang were up to doing a perfect job of offsetting the awkward air between her and Winter.

She had to admit, Winter had done well, choosing the Crystal Aurora for their meal. The upscale restraunt carried a vast variety of dishes from all over the globe, each described on the menu with a colorful little description. Surprisingly, there were even one or two dishes claiming to be from Menagerie, rather shocking given that the pristine business didn't really seem the sort of place to include food of Faunus origin. She made a mental note to ask Blake about it later, thinking of treating her girlfriends to a meal latter on.

Of course, Weiss had a feeling Winter hadn't chosen the restaurant for the food. It was far more likely she'd chosen it for the VIP terrace on the restaurant's top floor, which, in addition to giving a picturesque view of Vale's skyline, also placed them far away from any prying eyes or ears.

Looking across the table, Weiss felt her brief bout of relaxation fade as she met Winter's eyes. Her sister stared back, her face blank. Her glass of white wine sat untouched beside her folded hands, her index finger tapping against back of her other hand in a steady rhythm.

It had been like that since they'd gotten on the Bullhead to Vale, awkward and intense. Winter hadn't spoken a word throughout the trip, cutting off Weiss' few attempts at small talk with a piercing look. The message was clear: Not here. So Weiss took the time to gather her thoughts… or at least, try not to suffocate under a growing mountain of anxiety.

Hoping to break the silence, Weiss went to speak, only to close her mouth immediately. She had no idea what to say. So much had happened in so little time. Where to start?

The quiet was instead broken by Winter's resigned sigh.

"Well, Weiss…"

A cold feeling seeped into Weiss' stomach. Winter's lips pursed into a faint frown, her brow furrowing slightly. "You've had a rather… _interesting_ first semester."

Weiss' cheeks pinked a bit. "I suppose…" She muttered.

Winter raised an unimpressed brow. "You don't consider theft of information and vigilantism 'interesting'?"

Weiss winced. "Winter… I can explain…"

"And I expect you to," Winter said, her voice full of authority. Her frown deepened. "Weiss, this is… beyond anything I was expecting. I barely recognize you."

Of all the things Weiss thought Winter would say, she hadn't expected something like that. A look of hurt flashed across her face. "R-Really? I didn't think I'd changed that much."

Winter's brow raised further as she let out a sharp breath, sounding suspiciously like a scoff. "Weiss… " She cut herself off, taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes. When she opened them, they seemed less harsh than before. To her surprise, Weiss thought Winter looked almost… concerned. Looking right into Weiss' eyes, Winter propped her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her laced fingers.

"Help me understand," She said, a hint of confusion bleeding through her calm voice. "When I last spoke with you, you acted brash, spoiled, and had a superiority complex that almost rivaled our father."

Weiss felt like she'd been slapped. She'd always known Winter to be straightforward, but she'd heard her sister be _that_ blunt before. To actually compare her to their _father_...

Yet, she couldn't deny her. What little indignation she felt fizzled out as memories of what her first months at Beacon were like; Berating Ruby's immaturity, snidely questioning Yang's intelligence, the... _everything_ with Blake being a Faunus.

Weiss dipped her head, her shoulders sagging. The more she thought about, the less deserving she felt about all her girlfriends had given her.

Winter noticed Weiss' inner turmoil, her face softening slightly. "Now, I know most of that was an act." When Weiss looked up in surprise, Winter's lips curled in sympathy. "Being around Father, you have think and act a certain way. I know how hard it is to break from that mindset. "

Weiss blinked, her lips curving into a hesitant, hopeful smile.

Winter allowed herself to smile back for a moment, before her lips returned to a serious line. "But this goes beyond that. Weiss…" For the first time in Weiss' memory, Winter struggled to find her words. "How do you go from _that…_ to being in a fourway relationship with both a Faunus and a pair of sisters?"

Weiss' cheeks tinted horribly, her heart skipping a brief beat. Ruby had already told her Winter knew of their relationship, yes, but still; Having Winter just bluntly state it was a shock to the system. "It's, um…" She floundered for a response. Averting her eyes, all she could say was, "It's a long story."

Winter was unimpressed. "That much goes unstated. Regardless, I want to _hear_ this long story. I want to know your reasoning. I-" She paused, her lips forming a frown as she leaned back slightly.

"You… what?" Weiss asked, forcing the heat from her face.

Winter looked away for a moment. When she looked back, Weiss was shocked by the confusion in her eyes.

"Why are you risking yourself like this?"

Weiss was taken aback. "What… what do you mean?"

Winter sighed, leveling Weiss with a frustrated stare. "Weiss, much as you likely wish differently, you are not a normal teenage girl. You are the heiress to the SDC. The eyes of the whole world are on you, and Father is waiting for something, _anything_ , he can use to claim that you coming to Beacon was a mistake." Weiss' fearful wince made it clear that she was well aware of this, but that just fueled Winter further. "And yet… stealing from the company." She started ticking each item off with a raised finger. "Spying on the White Fang. _Fighting_ the White Fang. That's not even mentioning your _relationship_." She stressed the word, her tone layered with equal parts disbelief and bafflement.

Weiss cringed under her sister's words. "I-I know it's a risk…"

For the first time, a spark of anger entered Winter's eyes. "This is beyond 'risk'. Weiss… what do you think Father is going to do when he finds out?"

"...pull me from school?" Weiss offered, her voice full of fear and resignation.

Winter scoffed, shaking her head. "You'll be lucky if that's all he does." She let out a deep breath, calming a bit. "Weiss… I don't need to tell you this, you obviously already know what's at stake. So why? Why these girls? How did this even happen?"

Weiss looked down at the table, wringing her hands nervously. The thought of her father knowing about her, about Blake, Ruby, Yang, the entire Mating affair, brought every fear, both irrational and otherwise, to the forefront of her mind. All the ways it could go wrong, all the things her father could do, not just to her, but to her team. A man with as much pull as him…

 _Calm_.

She let out a startled breath, dimly aware at Winter raising an eyebrow at her. She felt the cool emotions flow through her, tinged with warmth and electricity.

 _Calm. Relax. Confidence. Kindness. Humor._

Winter's presence was the only thing that kept Weiss from snorting at the last one. She could just imagine Yang, trying to lighten the mood with some horrendous pun, and succeeding for all the wrong reasons. She could see Ruby giggling slightly, trying to act like she _didn't_ find the bad joke funny, Blake rolling her eyes with a fond smile on her lips. Feeling some of her tension ease, Weiss smiled to herself.

* * *

" _ **Don't get all worked up over the what-ifs."**_

* * *

 _You're right, Blake,_ Weiss thought, hoping Blake would pick up on her gratitude. _Worrying won't help me. I need to focus on right now. The rest can come later._

Weiss' Mark felt odd for a moment, a split-second of numbness. Then she felt something different, at three specific points on her neck. Cool. Warm. Tingling.

 _And I won't face it alone._

Focusing back at the task at hand, oblivious to the hard stare Winter was now giving her Mark, Weiss thought over her sister's questions. Her lips curved.

"They see me."

Winter broke her gaze on Weiss' glowing Mark, her brow furrowed. "What?"

Her hands going still, Weiss said, "They see me for who I am… not _what_ I am." She finally looked up from the table, a hard edge in her eyes that offset her small smile. "I'm not the Schnee heiress to them. I'm not my father's daughter, I'm not just some… _extension_ of him. And… now that were… like this…" She put a hand to her neck, her fingers trailing over the shapes of her Mark. "I don't have to _try_. I don't have to… to _think_ all the time. No second guessing, no… _worrying_ about upsetting or angering them because I said the wrong thing at the wrong time."

As Weiss spoke, her voice growing stronger, Winter's face slowly relaxed, her icy glare fading to a look of surprise.

Weiss took a shaky breath, her eyes stinging as she went on. "I'm not a Schnee to them. They don't care about money, or reputation, or even their own safety, I think. To them, I'm just… Weiss. And… that's enough."

Winter's expression turned thoughtful, a touch concerned. "You really do like these girls."

Weiss nodded. "More than anything."

Winter frowned. Conflicting emotions flicked across her face, ranging from impressment to exasperation. "How?" She asked, rubbing at her temple. "Just a few months ago, I know you shared our father's opinion on Faunus. How could you go from that to… _this_?"

As Winter waved vaguely in Weiss' direction, the younger Schnee paused. Winter asked a valid question, and it was one Weiss could answer. The problem was, the answer didn't just involve herself, but her Mates as well. And even without that, telling Winter how they all got together also meant telling her…

The heat started pooling in Weiss' cheeks again.

"Um…" She said, averting her gaze. "It's… kind of awkward to talk about."

Seeing her sister's change in mood, Winter crossed her arms. "Weiss, there has yet to be a single part of this conversation that _hasn't_ been awkward in some way."

Weiss slumped in her seat. She breathed deeply in and out, weighing her options. _Winter has always valued honesty, but… oh, I don't want to tell her this!_ She huffed to herself. _Though, I can't really use the other's as an excuse. They've been saying how open they want this relationship to be. Though, Blake might… no, she_ will _be mortified if I tell Winter._

"Weiss?"

Weiss looked back up, meeting Winter's expectant eyes. She hesitated.

"...can you promise me something?"

Winter raised a brow at Weiss' timid question. "That depends…"

Weiss swallowed nervously. "If… If I tell you how we all got together… can you promise to keep an open mind? And… not to judge us? Any of us?"

Winter's eyes widened a little. "That depends on what you say happened," She said after a moment. "But I can promise to keep an open mind. I must tell you though, Weiss, the fact you must ask does not give me much reassurance."

Weiss grimaced. That was about as good as she would get from Winter. "I know," She said. "It's just… I don't regret anything, but… talking about it is… embarrassing."

Winter leaned back slightly, already wary of Weiss' tale. "How embarrassing?"

Weiss sighed, already dreading the fallout of her next sentence. _Sorry Blake..._

"... how much do you know about Faunus heat cycles?"

...

For a full ten seconds, Winter just stared. She blinked, rapidly. Then, with obvious effort, she slowly reached for her glass of wine, placing it right in front of her. "Go on," She said, her tone making clear how much she regretted asking.

Weiss groaned to herself. This was going to be awkward beyond belief.

* * *

 **The Emerald Forest**

 _Thump, thump, thump, thump..._

The world flew by. The trees blew past, their features blurring together, an endless stream of browns, reds, and oranges, everything tinted with faint yellow light. Her legs pounded against the ground, aching, burning, _alive_!

 _Thump_ , _thump, thump, thump..._

Every second, she went faster, the wind beating around her, her hair billowing behind her. It was amazing.

" _...ng!"_

The path suddenly ended into a wall of trees. Her feet left the ground. The world turned sideways, and there was the creak of protesting wood. Her feet touched earth, and the world dissolved to colors again.

" _...ow down! You're going to…"_

She could feel it, just beneath her skin. There was more speed, raging to be released. She could go faster.

" _..ok out!..."_

Something up ahead, in her way. Two things, side-by-side. She didn't care, blasting right between them. Red, brown, bronze. Someone yelled in shock. She pushed on.

" _...orry, Jaune! Yang, you…"_

Faster. Faster!

" _...opped breathing! Please, just…"_

There was no limit. She could run forever.

" _...ke up before…"_

Anywhere. Everywhere! She could…

" _ **BREATHE!"**_

Yang gasped, the shrill scream piercing through the haze. The moment the air hit her lungs, everything stopped. Her legs locked up, and she came to a sudden halt, yellow rose petals blasting past her in the wind, dancing like snowflakes.

"Yang?" She could just barely hear a voice over the hammering of her own heart, arms gripping her tightly around the neck. Yang didn't respond, only able to gasp desperately for air. Her whole body shook.

"Yang?" The voice asked again, worried. "Are yo -whoa!"

Without warning, Yang's legs gave out. She fell forward, barely catching herself as she slammed to her knees. She sucked in air quickly and deeply, her chest protesting with every breath. Her heart pounded against her ribs franticly.

She dimly felt a weight slide off her back. Small hands cupped her cheeks, blurry pools of silver appearing right in front of her.

"Yang. Yang, breathe slower." That voice again, sounding worried, even scared, yet trying to be soothing. "C'mon, lie down, okay? Just lie down."

Yang had no choice but to do as the voice said. All it took was a light prod to her shoulder, and her arms gave out. She collapsed limply. Everything hurt.

Small, strong hands gripped her shoulders, rolling her onto her back. She stared up at the blue sky, covered by the red and yellow branches above her. Her breath came out in deep, raged heaves.

She heard someone running near her. "Ruby!" Someone called out, another female voice. "What the heck was… oh no, what's wrong with Yang?"

"Just a second, Pyrrha," The first voice said. Someone leaned over her, blocking out the view of the sky. "Yang, can you hear me? Here, this will help."

Something was dropped into her mouth, and she had just enough of her faculties not to suck it in with her next gasp of air. She tasted something overly sweet on her tongue, rich and creamy. Chocolate.

"Um, how exactly is a candy bar going to help?" A third voice asked, this one male.

"It's a long story. Yang? Hey, are you feeling better?"

Once the candy had melted in her mouth, Yang blinked rapidly. Her vision sharpened a bit, just enough to make out the person leaning over her. Still breathing heavily, she grinned. "Heeey, Rubes," She droned tiredly. "No… offense, but… your Semblance… _suuuucks…_ "

Ruby blinked at her, then let out a relieved chuckle. "Yeah, I know the feeling. Are you okay?"

"Well…". Yang tried to pull herself up, but found she could barely lift her head. She huffed, frustrated. " I can't move." She groaned when a sharp twinge drifted up from her legs. "And everything hurts." Despite the pain, she shot a look at Ruby, suddenly suspicious. " Is this what it always feels like... when you push yourself too hard?"

Ruby winced, her eyes darting guiltily. "Um… maybe?"

Yang's eyes narrowed, filling that tidbit away for latter. Taking a calming breath, finally feeling her heartbeat start to slow, she looked back up at the sky. "What did I do wrong?"

Ruby frowned, reaching into the duffle bag on her shoulder. "You let the speed go to your head." She pulled out a bottle of water and a straw. " You ran for fifteen minutes straight. Then… you stopped breathing."

Yang stared at the sky, breathing deeply. "This is gonna be harder than we thought."

Ruby nodded grimly. "Yep."

She put the straw to Yang's lips, and the blonde sucked down the water greedily, the ache in her throat lessening a bit. Once she drained the bottle, Yang finally looked to her other side, seeing the pair of partners standing awkwardly away from them. "Where did you two come from?"

Jaune and Pyrrha shared a quick glance with each other. "We were out for team training," Pyrrha said. "You ran right between us."

"Uh, speaking of which," Jaune piped up, looking between the sisters in confusion.. "How the heck did _you_ run between us? I thought Ruby was the only one with superspeed?"

Ruby and Yang looked at each other. Ruby shrugged, and Yang would have too, had she been able to move. Ruby looked back up at them. "It's… hard to explain. We can tell you, but… could you give us a hand back to the school while we do? Yang can't move, and I lost my crutches."

Confused, Pyrrha and Jaune looked down at Ruby, their eyes widening when they noticed her braced leg for the first time. Yang gave Ruby a startled look. "You lost them? When, where?"

With a slightly flat look, Ruby jerked her thumb back down the dirt path. "About a mile that way, around turn nine."

Yang blinked, following her gaze. "Oh. Whoops."

Bemused by the whole situation, Jaune just shook his head. "Yeah, we can help you out. Let me call Ren and Nora first, though. We'll need their help, and I'm not sure how far they-"

" _Hey Jaune, Pyrrha! Either of you see a big yellow meteor shoot thru the forest?"_

Jaune turned towards the shout, surprised. "Or, they could just find us." Raising his voice, he shouted into the underbrush. "Yeah, we're over here!"

A few seconds later, Nora's head of orange hair poked out from behind a bush. Seeing the group, she ran over, Ren following behind her at a slower pace. "There you guys are! When did Ruby and Yang show up? They follow the meteor too?"

Ren let out a small sigh. "Nora, I told you, it couldn't be a meteor, it-" He stopped talking when Nora shot him a pouting glare, just rolling his eyes instead.

Jaune let out a nervous chuckle, hoping Nora wasn't about to start something. "Ruby and Yang were just about to tell us about the… _'meteor_.' We just have to help them back to the school."

Nora tilted her head, her brow furrowing. "Help them? Are you guys hurt or some...thing…?"As Nora turned to look at the sisters, her voice trailed off, her eyes bugging out.

Pyrrha had just pulled Ruby to her feet, looping her arm under Ruby's as the younger girl leaned into her. Ruby winced slightly as she lifted her left leg, trying to keep the heavy brace from dragging on the ground.

Ren curved a brow at Ruby's broken leg. He turned slowly to Nora, frowning.

Seeing his look, Nora threw her hands up in defence.

"I didn't do it!"

* * *

 **A/n: Yeah, I couldn't resist. :p**

 **So, here's the deal. With Volume 5 on the horizon, and pretty much guaranteed to throw everything I have planned completely out of whack, I want to keep the momentum going as much as I can. What this means is, the chapters from here on out will likely all be either this length or shorter. On the plus side, this means the chapters should, SHOULD, come out quicker.**

 **As always, I make no promises. I just really want to get to some of the stuff I've had planned before I get bogged down with a whole new slew of information to give me more ideas. Seriously, I have plans for freaking** _ **Ilia**_ **, just from 5's latest teaser, and I still haven't reached the end of this freaking second Arc. Arc II was going to go through the whole of Volume 2, but that's probably not going to happen. Mountain Glynn might become it's own freaking Arc at this point. Ugh…**

 **See you all next time!**


	41. Chapter 41: Forging Bonds, New and Old

**Chapter 41: Forging Bonds, New and Old**

 **Downtown Vale, The Book Ends**

Among the hustle and bustle of Vale's more popular streets lay a quaint little bookstore. The Book Ends, as it's oh-so clever owner hand named it, sat in a rare part of the city that both had a high concentration of Faunus and was rather upkept. It was this fact that drew the attention of one certain Cat-Faunus, hoping that given the Faunus-centric location, she might find information there that she couldn't elsewhere.

Blake sat at the back of the store, at a table hidden behind the expansive bookshelves. She had one tome open, her amber eyes scanning the pages for any mention of Affinities. She suddenly scowled at the book, closing it with a disgusted huff.

 _Nothing_ , she thought dejectedly, setting the book onto her increasing reject pile. She slumped in her chair, staring up at the dusty ceiling. _Not one of these has anything I don't already know. At this rate, we may just have to figure it out as we go._

She heard someone clear their throat behind her. She straightened up quickly, finding the store owner, an elderly fox Faunus, staring intently at her over his horn-rimmed glasses. "Not finding what you're looking for, young lady?"

With an apologetic grin, Blake said, "No, unfortunately. Are you sure these are the only books you have on Faunus Mating?"

The man nodded, his grey tail swiping slowly across the floor as her gathered the discarded books. "I'm afraid so." He then gave her a sly grin. "Unless you want to check the romance section?"

Blake blushed at the mere mention. She was well aware of the rather… _vivid_ embellishments some authors would create for the sake writing a story. "Um, no thank you," She muttered quickly, unable to meet the old man's laughing eyes. "I'm sorry to have wasted your time."

The old man just chuckled as he walked from shelf to shelf, putting each book back in its proper place. "Don't apologize, my dear. The fault is mine for not having as expansive a selection as I should. I'm no Tukson, I'm afraid."

Blake frowned at the mention of the missing bookstore owner. The man's shop had been found abandoned weeks ago, and no one had heard a word about him since. "Whatever happened to him?" Blake couldn't help asking.

The old man shrugged, using his tail to place a book on a high shelf. "Couldn't tell you. I think he mentioned moving to Vacuo once or twice, though. Strange that he would just up and leave his shop like that, but then, we live in strange times."

Blake didn't quite buy that, but she didn't feel the need to argue either. "Well, thank you for putting up with me, sir," she said with a polite nod.

"It's no problem, miss. Again, I'm sorry I didn't have what you were looking for." He let out a weary sigh as he walked back to the front of the store. "I'm afraid that texts on our culture are hard to come by outside of Menagerie." He barked out a raspy laugh, eyes twinkling with mirth. "Maybe you should make the trip come next break! Find the book you're looking for and read it on the island shores."

Blake laughed at that, making her way to the door. "Sounds like paradise. Thanks again!" She waved goodbye as she stepped out on the street. Once she was a few paces away from the store, she groaned, her cat ears dipping.

 _Another dead end. Maybe he's right, and Menagerie is the only place to learn about Affinities._ She sighed dejectedly, having to sidestep through the crowded sidewalk. She didn't know what to do now. Any hope of learning about their Affinity, or anything else about Mating, was out of reach, half a world away.

Once again, she cursed her lack of knowledge. She cursed herself, she cursed Adam, she cursed the universe itself for keeping her away from her family for three years. According to her mother, she should have already learned all this from her parents, but instead she...

Blake came to a slow stop in the middle of the sidewalk, her face going slack in realization..

 _My parents._ _I-I could just call my mother._

It was a simple thought, one that she'd had all year long, but now… she could actually do it. There was no more need for White Fang secrecy, no fear of her mother's reaction, no self-imposed restriction. She could just… call home.

Blake's face lit up with unrepressed excitement, her cat-ears twitching eagerly. Her first instinct was to go for her scroll, only to quickly remember that it was now a smoldering paperweight thanks to Torchwick. Unwilling to let her rare bout of enthusiasm fade so soon, Blake ran as quick as she could to the nearest information kiosk, standing at the street corner with a small crowd of people surrounding it. Blake only needed a quick glance of the local map, finding the right symbol, before she was off.

Two streets over and one sharp turn latter, Blake found what she was looking for. The internet café was slightly outdated, unsurprising given it's Faunus centric location. The windows were a bit cloudy, and she could make out some remnant graffiti under the front window, buried under a hasty coat of uneven paint. She eyed the holographic Atlas symbol above the door with a little caution, but brushed her old instincts aside as she pushed through the door.

Just like the outside, the inside of the shop showed signs of neglect. It was clean enough, pristine even, showing that the owner must have some pride in the place. But all the equipment was outdated, at least a generation behind the current standard. This didn't really bother Blake, though. The older generation consoles were more than fine for a simple video call.

Scanning the room, her eyes passed over people sitting around the massive pentagonal tables, each one holding five consoles with dividing walls between them. She made a beeline for the first open console she saw, only stopping when she heard someone call her name.

"Blake?"

Blake was instantly on alert, all good thoughts vanishing. Her hand twitched towards Gambol Shroud, ready to draw. She couldn't think of any good reason why someone in this area would recognize her, unless it was someone from the White Fang. If so, the likelihood of a fight was high.

Which was why she was so relieved when she saw a familiar pair of chocolate-colored rabbit ears poking over a nearby monitor, a matching pair of brown eyes meeting her amber ones.

"Velvet," Blake breathed in relief, quickly relaxing. She smiled in welcome. "Didn't expect to see you here."

Standing up from the table, Velvet smiled shyly back, picking her bag off the back of her chair. "I was just taking a break from my team to call home and check in with my mother. What are you doing here?"

. "I was going to do something similar, actually." Blake felt another slight thrill at being able to call home. Then she remembered. "Oh! It's good I saw you, actually. Weiss said you had something to ask me?"

Velvet's ears perked up a little, her eyes twinkling. "Oh! Um…" She looked around the café, as if seeing who all was around. She was apparently was okay with the situation, merely taking a small step forward and lowering her voice. "Yes, actually. Um… well, first things first, congratulations on finding your Mates."

Blake nodded slightly, feeling an unrestrained smile worm it's way onto her lips. Not many Faunus had said anything to her on her relationship, let alone congratulate her. It put a warm feeling in her chest. "Thank you," She said with a slight nod.

Velvet returned the nod. "Right. Well… that's kind of what I wanted to ask you about, though."

Blake tilted her head, perplexed. "My Mates?"

Velvet rubbed the back of her neck, averting her gaze. "I'm sorry if I'm being rude… I don't mean to be, but…" She took a deep breath, schooling her face in a semblance of calm. "I heard you talking with Jaune the other day, when you stopped wearing your bow? I-I didn't mean to overhear, but… you said something I was hoping you could maybe explain?"

Blake frowned. Velvet was timid by nature, but she'd never seemed _this_ nervous before. "Okay," She said hesitantly. "What's up?"

"Well…" Velvet looked down again, pushing her index fingers together to distract herself. "All your Mates are human… but I heard you and Jaune saying that they managed to give you a Mark anyway." She slowly met Blake's gaze, biting her lower lip. "How… H-How did they do it?"

Blae was surprised by the question, but didn't show it outside of her ears perking up a bit. "Oh, that's easy. When I explained how Marking worked, and how they wouldn't be able to give me a Mark normally, Weiss did some reasearch. She found a story about a Faunus soldier who had his jaw wired shut due to an injury. In it, he had a friend of his bite his lover in his stead, and then the soldier poured his aura into her immediately after."

Velvet's mouth dropped a little, her long ears dipping. "And… that's what you did? Have another Faunus bite you, then have your Mates give you their aura?"

Blake hummed quietly, grimacing as she brought a hand to her Mark. "Sort of. I had been in a relationship before I came to Beacon. It… ended poorly." An immense understatement, but she didn't want to put the whole "White Fang, Adam Taurus" mess onto Velvet at the moment. As it was, Velvet just gave her a sympathetic nod, sadness in her eyes. "But I still had the initial Mark he gave me. It was just empty. Weiss had the idea of them repurposing that old Mark to make a new one, using their aura."

Velvet's eyes shimmered in wonder. "That's incredible!"

Blake smiled fondly at the memory. "Yeah. It was… quite something." She tilted her head a little, looking into Velvet's chocolate eyes. "Why do you ask?"

With a small shudder, Velvet seemed to shake herself out of her brief stupor. Her cheeks reddened a little once she heard the question. "Oh, I was just curious about how you did it. How hard it was and…" Her voice dropped to a mere mutter. "... if someone could replicate it…"

Once she heard the quiet words, something clicked in Blake's head. She grinned. "Velvet… do you want to Mark someone?"

Velvet's ears shot up in an instant, and Blake could see the instinctual denial in Velvet's eyes. After a short moment of their eyes meeting, though, Velvet deflated. She ducked her head a little, her long bunny ears drooping as she blushed. She gave Blake a shy nod.

Blake's grin morphed into a full-fledged smile as she put a supportive hand on the Rabbit-Faunus' arm. "Velvet… that's great! Who?"

"...Coco," Velvet admitted, trying valiantly to keep her smile somewhat restrained. "We've been together since our first year at Beacon. I've wanted to become Mates for a while now, but…"

When she trailed off, the final piece fell into Blake's mind. "She's human."

Another small nod, Velvet's smile shrinking just a little. "It doesn't really matter to me, but if we became Mates… I've heard of Faunus-human Mating ending badly because the Faunus starts becoming dissatisfied with a limited bond. I'd like to think I wouldn't do that her, but… I've been scared to try regardless."

Blake gave her arm a soft squeeze. "But, now?"

Velvet chewed at her lip nervously. "I'd really like to try," She admitted faintly. "But… you said I'd need another Faunus' help?"

"Yes, for Coco to make the bite."

"...could you do it?"

Blake jerked back in surprise, her ears standing straight up. "W-What?" She asked, her voice rising in pitch.

Velvet's ears sagged as she blushed deeply. "I'm sorry!" She backpedaled. "I-I just don't really have anyone else to ask, and you know more about this then me, but I completely understand if you don't-"

"Velvet!" Blake shouted, cutting the rambling rabbit off as she glanced around the store. Velvet's panicking was starting to draw attention from the other patrons, a tall snake Faunus behind the front counter narrowing his slitted-yellow eyes at them.

Seeing this for herself, Velvet quieted instantly, her face growing even redder. "Sorry," She said meekly.

Blake let out a breathless laugh. "It's okay," She assured. "You just surprised me." She gave Velvet an appraising look. "You really want me to help you Mark Coco?"

Velvet nodded, a hopeful twinkle in her eye. "If you would…"

Despite Velvet being two years older than her, Blake found herself as helpless under those big brown eyes as she would be under Ruby's youthful silver. She soon found a wide grin on her lips. "I'd be happy to try."

Velvet's ears shot high, a look of pure joy on her face. "Oh…" She suddenly shot forward, wrapping Blake in a bone crushing hug. "Thank you, Blake! Thank you!"

Blake wheezed as the air was squeezed out of her, but still returned the hug. "You're… welcome!" She managed to rasp. Seriously, the girl could rival Yang!

Velvet quickly pulled back, her smile threatening to tear her face in half. "I'll talk her tonight and I'll get you the details later." She then noticed a digital clock hanging on the far wall of the building, blinking as the time rolled over to the next hour. She got a panicked look on her face. "Oh, I'm suppose to meet my team at the theater soon!" After a moment's hesitation, she glomped Blake in another quick hug. "Thank _you_!"

Blake couldn't help but grin. The sheer joy from the usually timid Faunus was infectious. "It's no problem. I'll talk to you later."

Velvet flashed her another blinding smile, before rushing out the door, dodging the whipping tail of a Rat-Faunus as he opened the door to enter.

Blake took a moment to appreciate what just happened. While she knew Velvet well enough to call her a friend, for her to ask Blake for help with something so personal was… surprising. But in a good way, one that left a warm feeling in Blake's chest. If Velvet trusted her that much, she'd do whatever she could to help.

… and try to ignore the fact that she had no idea if she actually _could_ do what the Faunus in the story did.

Blake groaned quietly, feeling the beginnings of a fresh headache. She could focus and fret about all that later. First…

Blake sat down at the console Velvet had just vacated. With a few clicks and keystrokes, she brought up the video chat. An empty screen popped up, a blinking cursor waiting for her enter a number.

Blake's fingers hovered over the keyboard. They tensed, pulling back slightly as she felt that familiar twinge of doubt. After just a second of hesitance, Blake shook her head, clearing away the wayward thought. With a deep breath, she punched in the familiar number, the one her parents had drilled into her before she left. She hit enter.

For an agonizing ten seconds, she watched the words " _ATTEMPTING CONNECTION…_ " flash across the screen. Then, the screen blinked, and Blake found familiar amber eyes mirrored back at her.

But not from who she'd been expecting.

"Who are you and how did you… Blake?"

Blake felt her stomach go cold as her whole body stiffened. "Dad?"

As soon as it had come, the confused look on Ghira's face morphed into an excited smile. "Blake! We didn't expect to hear from you again so soon!"

Every thought Blake had vanished in an instant. In truth, she had known there was a chance her father would pick up rather then her mother, but somehow it hadn't clicked that it could actually happen.

"Um…" Blake tried to find something to say, but being faced with her father so suddenly had completely blindsided her. "I… um… I… had a question that…"

Ghira's grin slipped off his face, seeing Blake tense under his gaze. "Blake, what is it? What's…" With a blink, he trailed off. Understanding flashed in his eyes. His face fell, his shoulders drooping slightly.

Seeing this, Blake felt a surge of fear. A bolt of panic shot up her spine, making her lean forward towards the screen. Thinking she was about to feel her father's wrath, she tried to explain. "Dad, I-!"

"Blake." Ghira held up a hand to stop her, saying her name like a command. Blake hushed instantly, her ears folding back against her skull. Ghira took a slow breath, then looked her right in the eyes. "Your mother told me everything."

Blake's heart thumped hollowly in her chest, She looked away from the screen as she responded. "Yeah, um… she said she would…"

"Blake, look at me."

Blake flinched, squeezing her eyes shut. With a weak sigh, she hesitantly, fearfully, turned back to the screen. She opened her eyes… only to be met with father's concerned gaze.

"I agree with her."

Blake's ears shot up, her breath hitching. "You… you do?"

Ghira nodded solemnly. "Sweetheart, you were put into a no-win situation, and you did your best with what you had. And when the time came, you made the right choice. Believe me, Kitten, there's not many out there who can do that. There's plenty of blame to go around, but I don't put _any_ of it on you."

Blake's mouth fell slightly, her ears slowly lowering to their regular position. "You… you're not mad?"

Ghira scoffed, his lips pulling back into a half-grin. "Sweetheart, after all you've been through, and you're still standing tall? If anything, I'm proud of you."

Blake leaned back from the screen, sucking in a startled breath. Her vision blurred for a moment, but she blinked back the tears. Without realizing it, a smile slowly spread across her lips.

Seeing her smile, Ghira did the same. "We'll figure this all out, Blake," He promised. " _Soon,_ if I get my way. But, for the moment…" Ghira's smile widened, excitement gleaming in his eyes. "Since I've got you... I want to hear everything."

Instantly wary, Blake frowned. "About what?"

Ghira chuckled, loud and deep. "School! I want to know what life is like at one of those fancy Hunter schools. What's your favorite class? What are the teachers like? What _friends_ have you made."

Blake felt the heat rush to her face, not missing the emphasis her father put on the word 'friends', nor the sly look her gave her as he did so. Despite that, she also felt relief, like the knot in her stomach had finally been undone. "I don't really know where to start."

"I've got some time," Ghira assured. "Your mother's at the market right now, but she should be back soon. I'm sure she'd love to hear this too."

Blake couldn't help but smile in disbelief. She should really be asking her questions about Affinities, but… this was the first time she and her father had talked in over a year.

"Well, Beacon's not anything like I expected. The Headmaster, Professor Ozpin, can be a little odd at times…"

There'd be time for questions later. Call it selfish, but Blake had been living a life of danger and insanity for three years. Having the opportunity to do something as normal and mundane as talking with her parents about school seemed extremely appealing. And she was going to take it.

* * *

 **The Crystal Aurora**

"... we only finalized things Friday night. Then… you know about yesterday."

Weiss fell silent, her face burning. Across from her, though her expression was as stoic as ever, Winter sported an equal, possibly deeper blush.

Seconds ticked by, neither one of them saying a word, only the noise of the city streets below filling the air. Weiss bit her lip, waiting for any number of Winter's reactions, from an angry explosion to frigid disgust. She flinched when she heard Winter inhale deeply through her nose.

"Well," Winter said, her voice eerily calm. She tipped back her drink, downing the last few sips of her second glass of wine. She set the empty glass aside, meeting Weiss' eyes. "That's… something."

Weiss ducked her head in worry. "Is… that all you have to say?"

"Oh, there's _plenty_ I have to say." Winter said quickly, slight strain in her voice. "Just nothing that useful… or for polite company."

Weiss winced, her shoulders drooping. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't." Winter silenced her, a hard glean in her eyes. Glancing to the side, she gave a slight wave, and a waiter ran up from inside the restaurant with a bottle of wine, refilling her glass. Once he'd retreated, she stared into her full glass, saying, "If you truly love these girls as much as you say, do not apologize for anything you've done with them. What happens behind closed doors is none of my business." She frowned, looking slightly ill as she swallowed a mouthful of wine. "Nor do I wish it to be."

While Winter's words seemed kind enough, even supportive, Weiss stayed on edge. It was never this easy. "So… are you okay with… us?"

Winter gave Weiss a long stare. She took a calming breath. "Weiss, just to be clear: you had sex with three separate girls."

Winter's blunt statement made Weiss cringe, making her wish she was anywhere but there. "Yes," She said, her cheeks glowing.

Winter's face pinked. "At the same time."

Weiss sunk into her chair, unable to meet her sister's eyes. "...yes."

Winter paused, then took another deep drink, emptying half the glass. She cleared her throat, and the redness faded from her face. "And just a week after that one… _encounter_ , you've entered a semi-permanent relationship with them." She set her glass aside clasping her folded hands on the table. Her lips dipped at the corners, concern in her eyes. "Doesn't that seem a tad _rushed_ to you?"

Weiss grimaced slightly, looking back up. "A bit," She admitted. "But we've known each other for months. We all care for each other. I feel closer to them then I have anyone… except you, of course."

Winter allowed a small smile at that, before schooling her face. "All reasons I could understand forming a romantic relationship, even one as odd as yours. I could accept if that was it. But Marking each other, Weiss? Doesn't that seem like too much so soon? You've essentially married these girls!"

Weiss, having made the poor decision to take a sip of her own drink, nearly choked in her rush to correct Winter, her face flushing. "Wha- No! No, no, Mating Isn't like that! At least not at this stage! It's not permanent if we don't want it to be. It can be reversed."

"Yes, just like a marriage can end in divorce." Seeing Weiss' mouth open in shock, Winter pressed on. "And I've heard stories about Faunus who break off being Mated, Weiss. It is a _very_ painful process, that can leave scars on both parties." She dipped her head down, breaking eye contact. She sighed to herself. "Since you're human, I don't know if it would be the same with you. But… Weiss," She suddenly reached across the table, surprising Weiss by taking her hands in her own. She looking into Weiss' eyes, and the younger Schnee could see the worry in them. "We've both been through enough painful events as it is. I don't want to see this become another one for you."

Weiss stared at her sister, mouth agape. Winter hadn't shown this much emotion since they were both much younger, and Weiss wasn't quite sure how to react. "I… I really doubt that any of them would do anything to hurt me," She finally stuttered out.

If anything, Winter's grip tightened. "It's not just them hurting you on purpose I'm worried about. Have you even considered what you're going to do in this relationship long term?"

"I-I've thought about it…" Weiss said, unsure. "A bit…"

"And?"

"... I have no idea."

Winter huffed, pulling back her hands to cross her arms. "Weiss…" She drawled scoldingly.

Weiss mirrored her, lifting her chin defiantly. "We've only been in this relationship for a week, Winter. We have _four years_ to figure everything out."

Winter frowned. "A lot can change in four years, Weiss."

"All the more reason not to waste time planning every detail right now." A small smile crept onto her face. "Honestly, I rather like the thought of just taking the days as they come."

Winter arched an elegant brow. "How so?"

Weiss paused, trying to think how best to articulate what she meant. "Just that… it's refreshing, not having everything planned out. Not knowing exactly how my life is going to go." She scowled slightly. "Not having everything laid out for me. Being able to just… live."

As Weiss spoke, Winter's brow shot up in realization. She looked down at the table, closing her eyes. "I can understand that," She admitted grudgingly. She looked back up. "But I still feel you should plan out _something_ , just in case. For instance, where will you all live? Do you want to find somewhere in Atlas?"

Weiss paled at the very thought. "No! No, no, I… I don't want to risk them being anywhere near Father." She shivered. "I barely feel safe with an ocean between us."

While she kept her expression neutral, Winter nodded slightly in approval. _At least she has no illusions on how our father will take this._ "That's what I mean though, Weiss. You have to consider these things."

Weiss's eyes darted across the table's surface, looking anywhere but Winter's eyes. "I'll talk it over with the others later."

Despite not being as concise an answer as she would have preferred, Winter nodded. "Good."

The table went silent after that, only broken by the low buzz of the city below them. A waiter hesitantly stepped out from the restaurant after a few minutes, carrying their forgotten meals. Apparently, two Schnee's in deep conversation made the staff a tad leery of interrupting for any reason, even just to give them their food..

They ate in silence, Weiss getting only the barest enjoyment of her chicken salad as she mulled everything over. Winter glanced up from her meal of smoked salmon when she noticed Weiss starting to twirl her fork around a leaf of lettuce, but not actually eating anything. Without looking up from her plate, she asked. "What is it, Weiss?"

The younger Schnee looked up, but otherwise didn't react. She was silent for a few moments, then spoke. "You didn't really give me an answer."

Winter met her eyes. "Regarding?"

"...are you okay with my relationship?"

Winter held her gaze for a long few seconds. She eventually went broke eye contact, going back to her meal. "I don't really have an answer for you, Weiss. I don't know them well enough to have an opinion." Weiss wilted in her seat. Seeing her dejected look, Winter let out a short breath. "However," She relented, making Weiss perk up. "I can say this: You seem much happier since meeting these girls then when last we spoke. That is a point in their favor, at least."

Weiss smiled. It wasn't much, but it was a step in the right direction. Then she had a thought. "Would you like to meet them? Informally, I mean."

"Not when under scrutiny by our superiors, you mean," Winter countered with a knowing look. Weiss gave a tiny sheepish shrug. Winter chuckled lightly. "I'd like that. Though, I'm not sure how to really go about this. How does one greet your sister's multiple suitors?" She'd meant it as a joke, but found a hint of honest curiosity in her words.

Weiss pinked a bit. "I don't really know. I suppose going out for a meal could be a bit cumbersome. Maybe something more active?"

Winter hummed. "A spar, maybe? After hearing about your exploits last night, _ill advised though they might be..._ " She narrowed her eyes slightly, Weiss having the decency to slump in concession. "...I admit I'm curious to see their fighting prowess in person."

Weiss nodded. It sounded like a good idea. Yang would love it, always looking for a chance to show off, and Ruby would probably like seeing Winter's sabre in action. She wasn't sure about Blake, though. They'd have to talk about it once she came back from researching-

…

 _Oh._

Weiss met Winter's eyes, wary and unsure. _Should I…?_ She wondered to herself. It might be a risk, but if anyone could help…

"Actually… there is something I wanted to mention." She said hesitantly. "And… maybe get your opinion on?"

Winter raised a brow in interest. "What is it?"

Licking her quickly drying lips, Weiss said, "When we Marked each other, there was a… _side effect_ that we only found out about recently."

Winter frowned in concern. "What kind of 'side effect'? Are you ill?"

Weiss was quick to shake her head. "No, nothing like that. It's…" She mulled over her options, resolving to stay with the blunt facts. "Do you know what a Faunus Affinity is?"

Winter blinked. "Vaguely." She admitted. "It occurs rarely when Faunus mix their auras. They can gain a new ability, usually something rather passive." She tilted her head ever so slightly, her eyes widening a little. "Did… _you_ gain one, Weiss?"

"We think so." Weiss said. "We gained _something_ , for sure. But… I wouldn't call it passive." She looked into Winter's crystal blue eyes, calmed slightly at seeing warmth in them, rather than the usual ice. "Somehow… I think we all gave our Semblances to each other."

Winter's eyes blew wide, then narrowed. "That's impossible."

Weiss nodded in admittance. "Trust me, I would say the same, if I hadn't seen the proof with my own eyes. Winter… Ruby, Blake, and Yang can use glyphs. And… yesterday, Yang and I _both_ used Ruby's superspeed."

Winter stared into Weiss' eyes, her own narrowed in disbelief. Disbelief that slowly faded the longer Weiss met her gaze evenly. "You're serious," she breathed, her face going slack. "That's insane."

Weiss felt the corner of her mouth quirk upwards. "It seems most of my life is nowadays."

After a moment of stunned silence, Winter's expression turned neutral again. "Well, if that's true… what do you want from me regarding it?"

Folding her hands on the table, Weiss said, "I was hoping, if you had the time, that you could help me teach them how to use glyphs properly."

Winter was unimpressed, and her tone showed it. "Do you expect me to have several _months_ free?"

Weiss rolled her eyes, an action that earned a lifted eyebrow from Winter. "I'm not saying that we try to teach them gravity or summoning. Just the absolute basics, maybe Dust interactions."

Winter gave her sister a long stare. She shook her head in exasperation. "Okay, I'll humor you. What do they already know?"

Weiss swallowed slightly. "Just barrier glyphs. Ruby and Blake could make one with little effort, but Yang had trouble with the gestures."

Placing a hand to her now throbbing temple, Winter asked, "If you don't mind me asking, Weiss, why do you need my help? If your… _significant others_ can use our Semblance, you should be able to teach them the basics yourself."

Weiss shifted in her seat. "I could," She agreed. "But you always made the theory so much easier for me to understand. And…" She looked down, her face reddening slightly. "I'm struggling to advance with my own glyphs."

Winter frowned at that. "What are you having issues with?"

Weiss grimaced. She hated asking Winter for help with her own abilities, but if it got her to help her Mates… "Summoning," She admitted, not looking up from the table. "I can barely make the arm of a Knight."

Winter leaned back from the table, her lips forming a firm line. "I see."

Weiss tried not to wince. Winter hid it well, but Weiss could still hear disappointment in her tone. Nothing else needed to be said. Wiess already knew what her sister was thinking, how she'd been more than capable of summoning by Weiss' age.

Winter went quiet, and Weiss struggled to think of anything to say that could paint her skills in a better light. Her thoughts ended when she heard Winter sigh.

"I suppose I can assist you."

Weiss lifted her head in surprise. "Really?"

Winter nodded, her attention back on the last few bites of her meal. "Assuming General Ironwood has no immediate orders for me, I should have some free time tomorrow evening. I can help work through your troubles with the summoning glyphs after you detention." She paused to take a bite. "And, I suppose… if you brought your… _girlfriends…_ I could assist them as well."

Weiss' eyes widened in disbelief, before a bright smile overtook her face. "Thank you," she murmured softly.

Winter glanced up briefly, a slight grin tugging at her lips at Weiss' happiness. "Yes, well… bare in mind, I will remain skeptical of their supposed abilities until I see them myself." She took Weiss' quick nod as acknowledgement. She took one last sip from her wine, saying almost like an afterthought, "I hope you know what you're doing, Weiss. Our father will not be pleased when he hears of this." She scowled into her glass, muttering, "For multiple reasons…"

"I know," Weiss agreed, tensing her folded hands together as her fingers twitched nervously. Then her brow furrowed, her eyes hardening like ice. "But… I think this is worth the risk."

Winter raised an eyebrow at Weiss. After a few moments, her lips turned up in a proud smirk. "Maybe…"

* * *

 **A/n: Next chapter, what I've been wanting to get to for a while: Semblance lessons with Team RWBY! Expect awkwardness, embarrassment, hilarity, and possible bonding between elder siblings.**

 **Also, I feel i must address this, if only for my own sanity. There are parts of this story we will be getting too very soon that I have had planned since day one. Bare in mind, day one was about midway through volume 3. Then Volume 4 happened, and certain expectations I had were thrown for a bit of a loop, and judging from the Volume 5 trailer, it's only going to get worse.**

 **Short version: some characters from the future Volumes might be a bit different from their canon counterparts. I've already started this a little with Roman, but there's one character in particular I'm going to be playing around with that… well, let's just say they wouldn't get along with their canon version very well.**

 **Even shorter version: Hold onto your butts, things are gonna get weird.**

 **One that happy note, leave a review if you like, and I'll see you all again soon!**


	42. Chapter 42: Glyphs

**Chapter 42: Glyphs**

 **Monday, 4:32 P.M., Beacon Academy…**

 **...Cinder's Dorm.**

"Taurus, have you completely lost your mind!?"

Within one of Beacon's many generic guest dorms, Emerald Sustrai let out a silent groan. Curled up in the large windowsill, the green-haired girl tried to focus on the weapons magazine she'd been trying to read for the last hour. Propping her head up on her fist, her red eyes skimmed through various articles, less out of actual interest, and more to ignore-

" _No, you will not! That is not a decision you can make on your own!_ "

Looking up at the ceiling in exasperation, Emerald glanced towards the nearby bed. She met the eyes of her partner, Mercury Black, who had looked at her at that same moment. Laying on his back, the grey-haired teen paused in his mindless tossing of a blue ball he had found, catching it as it fell into his hand. There was a brief moment of silent camaraderie between them, both thankful that they were at least not suffering alone. Then Mercury shook his head, rolling his eyes as went back to his thoughtless distraction. Huffing, Emerald turned back to her magazine.

Both teens were trying to be as quiet and out of the way as possible. They _had_ been planning to go into the city, either to case their next target or just to distract themselves from the mind-numbing boredom Beacon offered them while undercover. However, to do that, they needed permission from their leader, Cinder Fall. And at the moment, talking to her about anything would be…

" _You bullheaded ass!_ "

...ill-advised.

Emerald flinched, her hands clenching, accidently crumpling her magazine. She risked a glance towards her leader, quickly going back to her reading when she accidently caught Cinder's burning yellow glare.

For the last thirty minutes, Cinder had been angrily pacing around the room, in a hushed shouting match with her scroll that was getting louder by the minute. Emerald didn't know was it was about, just that Adam Taurus was on the other end of the call, but she was starting to get worried they would start attracting attention soon.

Not that Emerald was going to say anything. She was worried, not stupid.

Whatever Taurus was saying, though, he was making Cinder angrier by the second. The room was steadily growing warmer, Cinder's powers raising the temperature along with her temper.

Emerald and Mercury both jumped when Cinder suddenly slammed her fist onto a nearby desk. Through gritted teeth, the dark woman hissed, "Taurus, I am already dealing with this from Torchwick, so I will only say this one more time: _I don't care._ I don't care about this girl, or what she's done, or any other petty little grudge you have against her. You are not wasting our hard earned time, resources, and manpower, _just so you can deal with your ex._ "

Both Emerald and Mercury's heads jerked up, staring at Cinder incredulously. They shot each other a look. They couldn't have heard that right.

Unfortunately, they weren't going to get clarification anytime soon. Taurus' response was so loud that the two could hear his muffled voice through the scroll, and whatever he said sent Cinder into a new tirade.

Emerald groaned again, turning away from her raging leader. She gazed out the window, staring forlornly at all the students milling around on the grounds. She'd gladly switch places with anyone of them, even just for a few minutes, if it meant she could get out and do _something_.

Among the swath of teenagers on the grounds, she dimly recognized a few of them. One of them was impossible to miss, given the neon red cloak billowing behind her. The same girl that had nearly knocked Cinder over the other day was leading a group of other girls away from the school, waving excitedly for them to follow as she dragged one of them by the arm, a girl with orange hair and a bow.

Emerald scowled, going back to her reading as she tried to tune out Cinder's ranting.

 _This job really sucks sometimes._

* * *

 **Vale Docks, Warehouse District**

"So, how exactly do you think this will go, Snowflake?"

Weiss' eyes flicked towards the sky, holding in a worried groan. The sky was just starting to tint orange as her team made their way through the winding paths between the various warehouses. Penny, at the behest of Winter, lead them past buildings and containers with the confidence of someone who'd made the trek regularly. From the way the dockworkers and occasional Atlassian soldier barely reacted to her presence, Weiss figured that was exactly the case.

"I don't know, Yang," she said, answering the blonde's question. "Winter said she'd help teach you three, but we didn't really talk about how."

Yang hummed, folding her arms behind her head. "So, we're going in blind. Sounds fun."

"I think it'll be fun!" Ruby pipped up, bubbling with her usual pep. "I've been thinking about all the cool things I could if I used glyphs along with my speed." She squealed in excitement, her crutches wobbling as she swayed side-to-side. "It's gonna be so awesome!"

Blake giggled lightly at Ruby's bubbliness. Even with her leg in the shape it was, Ruby's energy would not be contained. "I think you might be getting a little ahead of yourself, Ruby." She looked over towards Weiss.

The heiress nodded in agreement, though a slight smile played on her lips too. "Blake's right, Ruby. Winter's going to help you learn the easiest parts about our Semblance, the most basic of the basic. There's a lot more involved with the more complicated glyphs then you might think."

Yang chuckled. "We figured that, Weiss. Some of the things I've seen you do must be a pain to learn."

Weiss huffed out a laugh. "You have _no_ idea…" She muttered under her breath.

Ruby was undeterred, exclaiming happily, "Even if we don't learn much, it's still a whole new Semblance for us to learn. Besides," Her face fell for a moment, looking slightly miffed. "It's bound to be more fun than detention was."

The other girls couldn't help but groan in agreement, Blake and Weiss trying to ignore the throbbing in their arms. For their first day of detention, Goodwitch had made good on her comment about moving the new combat bots. General Ironwood had donated just shy of a hundred of the now-outdated AK-130s, and Team RWBY, along with Sun, Neptune, and Penny, had spent the better part of two hours after class moving them from the airfield to the training room. While they were thankfully lighter than the previous AK-100s, they were still a pain to move for everyone involved, save Penny and Yang, both of whom could carry two bot-filled crates effortlessly by themselves, to the annoyance of the others. _They_ had to pair off and carry each single crate together, much to the protest of their aching arms. Ruby was the only one who was spared the heavy lifting, due to her leg, but she had to suffer an even worse fate in her own opinion: helping Professor Goodwitch with the paperwork.

Once they were released from their punishment (for the day, anyway) and Sun and Neptune took off to do their own thing, Penny received a message from Winter, asking her to lead Team RWBY to a warehouse the Atlassian Military was currently renting. They were still trying to figure out why.

"Still seems a little odd that we're meeting her here," Blake couldn't help but mention, glancing around the docks. Her ears dipped when she looked towards a certain spot of empty tarmac. Before her _Sadness_ and _Regret_ could take hold, she felt Yang bump shoulders with her, flashing her a grin.

"Specialist Winter was already stationed here today for inventory," Penny explained, glancing back at them. "And stated that one of the empty warehouses would serve well for training away from prying eyes."

Weiss nodded. "That makes sense. There'd be a lot of questions if someone caught us practising at school." She couldn't help but shoot Yang and Ruby an annoyed glare. " _Again_."

Yang rolled her eyes. "It ain't that big a deal, Weiss. Jaune and the others were cool with it."

"Pyrrha wouldn't look us in the eyes this morning."

Ruby giggled as she recalled what Yang and Weiss were talking about. As JNPR helped the sisters back to Beacon, Pyrrha and Nora helping Ruby limp along, while Jaune and Ren had to practically drag Yang by her shoulders, the two had laid out the whole Mates event, from the day after Blake's heat to them gaining their Affinity. Their responses had been… memorable, to say the least.

Ren, to no one's surprise, took the whole thing in stride, taking a moment to consider their words before stoically voicing his acceptance. Though his aloofness was somewhat ruined by the permanent flush in his cheeks. Nora was dumbfounded for a minute, before launching into a slew of questions, ranging from simple curiosity (which Ruby cheerfully answered) to wholly inappropriate (which Yang gleefully explained).

Jaune, true to Yang's words, hardly reacted to the 'revelation' that Team RWBY was as much an item as they were a team, more focused on the fact that they each now controlled _four_ Semblances, while he was still trying to figure out if he even had _one_. Pyrrha had the strongest response, becoming a red faced stuttering mess after discovering Team RWBY's new dynamic. Though she hadn't said anything negative, thankfully.

Yang waved Weiss' worries away. "The girl just found out the four hot chicks across the hall all share a bed. Give her a few days to process and she'll be able to talk to us again without her face matching her hair." She barked out a laugh. "Honestly, I figured Jaune would be the one to act like that. But, nope! Guy didn't bat an eye at us."

"I _did_ tell you he already knew about us, Yang," Blake reminded.

"Yeah, I know," Yang conceded, looking up at the sky. "But come on! I like the guy, but he usually worries and freaks out about everything. But this? Nothin'!"

All conversation ended when Penny came to a sudden stop. "This is our destination!" She stated cheerfully, waving them towards the wide open door of one particular warehouse.

"Finally!" Ruby said, leading the group in. "This is going to be so…" She came to a sudden stop only a few steps through the door. Her mouth opened in shock. "Whoa…"

The walls were old, the aged metal tinged green from years spent beside the sea. Catwalks lined the upper levels, stretching across its length. The warehouse was bare for the most part, save a few Atlas embossed crates stacked against the walls. At the center of the mostly empty warehouse, however, stood a familiar hulking figure.

The rest of Ruby's team were similarly gobsmacked, Yang pointing and shouting, "What's that doing here!?"

It was the Paladin, the same one they'd fought two days prior. The once proud machine had been reduced to a mechanical corpse, bits of broken, melted metal scattered on the ground around it. It's severed cockpit sat in a twisted heap at its feet, the mech having to be held up by multiple cables running down from the ceiling.

Blake's ears pinned back, the sight of the mech putting her on the defensive. "Why is it-?"

" _We had it moved here yesterday."_

* * *

All eyes snapped towards the legs of the broken mech. Winter slowly walked into view from behind the machine, her boots clacking against the concrete. Sparing the Paladin a glance, she went on. "The technology used to upgrade this Paladin, as well as the Paladin itself, were all stolen from our warehouses her in Vale. We're hoping to inventory how much of our missing stock was installed into this Paladin, and pin down what, if anything, Torchwick and the White Fang still possess."

"Oh." Each girl made sounds of understanding. Blake relaxed, though her ears stayed a little bent, her eyes flitting around the warehouse.

Winter made her way in front of the Paladin, stopping right in front of the girls. She nodded towards Penny, who flashed a smile in response. "Penny, there are some supplies in the back office we will require. Could you collect them for me?"

Penny snapped a salute. "Absolutely, Ma'am." She ran off at once, leaving Winter alone with Weiss and her… girlfriends.

 _Well…_ Winter thought to herself. _This should be…_ different, _if nothing else._

She turned her attention towards Ruby. "Ruby, a pleasure to see you again. I assume your leg is healing as expected?"

Ruby grinned, glancing down at her leg. "Yep! The nurse said the brace might be able to come off tomorrow."

Winter made a small sound of surprise, looking impressed. "Your healing factor is quite remarkable."

"Yeah, Rubes has always healed pretty quick," Yang smirked, nudging Ruby a bit with her elbow. "We figure her Semblance has something to do with it."

Winter moved her gaze to Yang, giving her an appraising look. "I see." Her eyes panned towards Blake, giving her the same look up-and-down. She shifted her weight slightly, so subtle only Weiss and Blake caught it, then drew her lips into a polite line. "I suppose I didn't give much of a proper introduction yesterday to you two." She held out her hand to Yang and Blake. "I am Winter Schnee, Weiss' elder sister."

They both blinked at her, surprised. Yang grinned her trademark half-smile, grasping Winter's hand tightly. "Yang Xiao-Long, Ruby's big sister." Her smiled shifted to a smirk. "Nice to meet ya. Weiss has told us a lot about you."

Winter arched a brow, glancing towards Weiss. "Has she now?"

Weiss said nothing, shooting Yang a half-hearted glare. Yang just smirked back, and Weiss rolled her eyes.

Noting this, Winter looked to Blake, holding out her hand. The Cat-Faunus hesitated, her ears pinning back slightly. She suddenly glanced to the side, meeting Weiss' calming eyes. She sucked in a breath, her shoulders and ears relaxing as she took Winter's hand. "Blake Belladonna. It's an honor, Ma'am."

Winter nodded in return, unsurprised by the girl's polite tone and nervousness. After hearing of her exploits with the White Fang, Winter wasn't sure what to make of her as of yet. Though, perhaps she could now get one question of hers answered. "If I may ask, do you have any relation to Ghira Belladonna by chance?"

Blake's ears pinned back in an instant, her jaw tightening. "He's my father," She hesitantly admitted after a few tense seconds.

Winter hummed, having expected as much. It certainly explained how Blake was so devoted towards Faunus rights, yet turned against the White Fang as she did. "I had the pleasure of meeting him once," she said, much to the surprise of all those assembled.

"You did?" Blake asked, blinking in surprise.

"About… what was it, six years ago? A chance meeting in Mistral, if I remember correctly." Seeing the anxiety in Blake's eyes, she decided to give the girl an honest concession. "He's a good man. A good leader."

Whatever Blake was expecting her to say, it wasn't that. After a moment of stunned silence, her ears slowly perked back up, a hesitant smile forming on her lips. "Thank you for saying so."

Winter gave her a small nod. Looking at the group as a whole, she said, "Weiss explained your… _status_ to me…" She couldn't help fumbling with her words a bit. It was still hard trying to wrap her head around just how _involved_ her sister now was with these _three_ girls. Thankfully, outside of a nervous flick of Weiss' eyes, none of them noticed her minor slip. "And she believes you've all gained a Faunus Affinity. Could one of you please explain it to me?"

There was a brief moment of silent deliberation, the members of Team RWBY communicating through looks and, based on the glow of their Mate's Marks, feeling each others emotions. Winter found it quite fascinating to watch, focusing on Weiss as each of the symbols on her neck would brighten or dim, and Weiss would change her focus accordingly.

A decision was apparently made, as Ruby was the one to speak. Meeting the young leader's gaze, Winter was once again struck by how much emotion was in her silver eyes, shining with honest kindness. "We're not sure how, but somehow we've been able to use each other's Semblances."

Winter pursed her lips. "Yes, Weiss said as much. I hope you'll forgive me for remaining skeptical. Such a thing is… well, frankly, it sounds like that of a fairytale." She took a step closer, curiosity burning through her doubt. "Could you show me?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Ruby shifted her weight, placing her left crutch under her right arm, leaning heavily on both. "Sure!" Smiling brightly, she lifted her hand and held her palm up, curling her fingers into gesture Winter was very familiar with.

Looking back, Winter felt rather foolish. She knew Weiss would never lie to her, especially with something so ludicrous, but she still hadn't quite believed her. It was just too fanciful to be true, people gaining one another's Semblances. Especially a hereditary one like she and Weiss shared.

So no one was more shocked than Winter herself when her mouth fell open, her eyes bulging as she stared at the shimmering _red_ glyph hovering over Ruby's palm.

Ruby giggled, apparently finding her expression funny. "See? I told you. And it's not just me. Blake, Yang?"

Having to forcibly tear her eyes away from the… _impossibility_ in front of her, Winter snapped her head to the side, just in time to see Blake curve her fingers just as Ruby had, willing a violet glyph into existence. The Faunus' eyes darted from Winter's face to the glyph, her nervous smile widening just a tad.

Her shock just starting to wear off, Winter turned an expectant eye towards Yang. She watched as the blonde brought her hand up, then hesitated. Yang frowned, concentrating as she twisted her fingers. She looked to Weiss, holding her hand up for appraisal. Weiss gave her a nod, a proud smile forming on her lips. Grinning back, Yang looked down at her palm, the muscles in her arm tensing slightly. An ever familiar _Schriiing!_ sliced through the air, and a slightly oversized glyph formed over Yang's palm. Grinning at the yellow snowflake, Yang laughed in triumph, pumping the air with her other arm.

Winter stared, dumbfounded by multicolored glyphs in front of her. She was only startled from her stupor when someone cleared their throat. Winter blinked, looking over to find Weiss staring at her, a suppressed smirk on her lips as her eyes danced with mirth. Humorous blue eyes darted from her back to the three glyph-baring girls in a way Winter could only interpret as 'I-told-you-so'. She narrowed her eyes at her younger sister, unamused. Weiss merely looked away innocently.

This struck Winter as odd. _I don't recall her ever being so… impish._ Her scrutiny shifted towards Ruby, remembering her… _enthusiasm_ during their talk yesterday. _Perhaps these girls are having a larger impact on Weiss then I thought._

Shaking off her initial shock, Winter nodded towards the girls. "Well, it seems Weiss was correct. This is… unprecedented." She floundered for a moment behind her calm facade. Where to go from here? She quickly settled for asking, "Is this the extent of your capabilities with glyphs?"

The three lowered their hands, their glyphs fading into the ether. Blake was the one who answered, albeit tensely. "It is. Weiss said that this one was the easiest to learn, and that the others were much more complicated."

Winter noted how timid the Cat-Faunus was as she spoke to her. While understandable, give both their histories, she couldn't get to know the girl like Weiss wanted if Blake was constantly intimidated by her. _Something to work on later_ , she thought.

Inclining her head towards Weiss, Winter said, "She is correct." She lifted her own hand, a white glyph forming in her palm. "The barrier glyph is the absolute simplest at our disposal. It takes the least amount of effort to create, and requires an extremely simple visualization to focus on."

At that, Ruby frowned, her brow furrowed in thought. "'Visualization?" She asked, not quite understanding.

Winter cocked a brow at her questioning tone, then looked to Weiss. "Did you not explain the concept of how our glyphs work?"

Weiss ducked her head, her face tinting slightly. "I meant to, but… I wasn't quite sure how to explain."

Winter frowned at her. "It's not that difficult, I don't think." Turning back to the others, she went to speak... only to hesitate. She'd been ready to give the same speech she'd given Weiss years ago, during that brief period where Weiss was just discovering her Semblance and Winter was still tolerating her father's presence. It had been easy enough at the time, given Weiss' willingness to learn and her own desire to assist her little sister. But now… she barely knew these girls. Yet, she was suppose to teach them a skill that only she and her sister shared.

 _Perhaps Weiss has a point,_ Winter thought, feeling on odd twinge in her chest.

Still, she was not one to back down. Weiss asked for her help with this, and she would give it to the best of her abilities. Steeling herself, she began her lesson. "Well, to begin with, you should all understand exactly what it is these glyphs do. When Weiss and I- and now you, I suppose- create a glyph, we are altering the world around us. Within the confines of these glyphs, we can change the rules of reality itself."

To her amusement, Ruby's eyes seemed to sparkle with stars as she listened to her words, mouthing the word 'cool' under her breath. Yang and Blake looked intrigued, but confused, sharing a quick look.. "Could you explain that a bit more, please?" Blake asked.

"Certainly," Winter agreed. "We need only wait for… ah, perfect timing." The group looked towards the back of the warehouse as they heard a door creak open. Penny came in with a pair of wooden crates slung under one arm, what looked to be a large cooler under the the other. "Over here with them, Penny. Thank you." As the android set the boxes down a few paces away from them and began opening them, Winter turned back. "Perhaps it would be best to explain through demonstration."

The three girls looked at her curiously, while Weiss merely nodded, no doubt remembering how Winter had done the same for her years earlier.

With only the slightest turn of her head, Winter looked towards Penny. "Now."

In a flash, Penny pulled her head out of the the crate and reared back her arm. The four members of Team RWBY caught only brief glimpse of something grey and round in her hand, before Penny threw it at Winter at superhuman speed.

The four girls flinched at the sudden action, panic on their faces, none moreso then Weiss. Before they could fully process what was happening, Winter moved.

Without looking, Winter swung her arm towards Penny, her palm out. The glyph in her hand spun wildly, suddenly expanding the three feet in diameter. A dull thud sounded as something slammed into the glyph, followed by a metallic clang as the object fell to the floor.

Winter had to suppress the urge to smirk at their gobsmacked expressions, especially Weiss'. When she'd done the same for Weiss when they were younger, she'd used a kickball. Not a fifty kilo ball of steel.

"Depending on the type of glyph," She continued, unperturbed that everyone was staring at the now dented ball of metal spinning on the ground. "We can change the world around us to fit the situation. A barrier glyph such as this one, for instance, achieves the simple function creating a solid object in midair."

The barrier glyph faded away, and Winter then moved her hand into a different gesture. A new glyph formed on the ground beneath the metal ball, this one tinted black. "A more complicated example would be a gravity glyph, such as this one." Her fingertips twitched slightly, and the ball slowly rose to head-height.

Yang eyed the floating ball, crossing her arms. "Okay, I'll bite. What makes this one so complicated? You're just making it float. Our friend Pyrrha can do the same thing."

Winter arched a brow, noting how Wiess' eyes flicked between Yang and Winter worriedly. Her concern amused her somewhat. _Did you forget you asked that same thing, Weiss?_ "A fair question," She answered. "The complication is that, in order to alter the rules of nature, you must _understand_ what it is you are altering. A barrier glyph is easy because everyone can understand how a solid surface works. To alter gravity, you must understand the mechanics of it."

Blake's eyes lit up in understanding. "We have to know the science," She clarified.

Winter smiling kindly. "Precisely."

"Uh...," Ruby cut in, her eyes full of dread. "That sounds… complicated."

Winter turned to her, saying. "That's because it is, Ruby. The Semblance my family shares requires just as much mental preparation as it does physical ability, arguably moreso."

A nervous chuckle passed Yang's lips, her shoulders stiffening a little. "Hehe… sounds fun…"

Weiss looked at her our the corner of her eye, smirking. "There's a reason I strive to be the best student at Beacon, Yang. I have to be to use my Semblance properly."

Yang nodded faintly, her tone both apprehensive and impressed. "Yeah, no kidding. Half the stuff we've seen you do, I bet you _need_ a big brain to pull it off."

Sensing the blonde's unease, and making a note to ask if Ozpin would allow her to see these girls' grades later, Winter continued. "Once you grasp the core concepts of a glyph's nature, Yang, it _does_ become easier to conjure them through repetition. Our glyphs are extensions of ourselves, and like any part of yourself, the more you use them, the less effort will be required, both physically and mentally."

Yang's brow rose at Winter's words. She nodded slowly, her grin becoming more confident. "Okay. I think I get that."

Satisfied with her response, Winter decided to finish her little introduction. "Now, if we are done with the preambles, perhaps we could move on to some practical training."

This got Ruby's excitement up, the little leader practically bouncing on her crutches. "Oh, what are we going to do? Some kind of cool super secret Schnee training regiment?"

Winter… could only blink back dumbly at her. She glanced to the side, seeing Weiss roll her eyes in exasperation, though an odd smile played on her lips. She met Winter's gaze, giving her a look that the elder Schnee took to mean _"Seeing what I'm dealing with every day?"_.

Filing away both Ruby's… odd question and Weiss' subsequent amusement, Winter spoke to the younger girl. "Not… exactly, Ruby. Today, I merely want you all to work on mastering the barrier glyph, as well as your endurance with glyphs in general."

When Ruby voiced her confusion, Blake and Yang seeming equally bemused, Weiss explained. "She wants to test the limits of your glyphs. How strong they are, can you control their size, how many can you make at once- things like that."

"Indeed," Winter confirmed. "Once I see where your strengths and weaknesses lie, perhaps then we can see about moving onto the more… _thrilling_ types of glyphs."

Ruby's excitement dimmed a bit, making Winter wonder what exactly she thought they were going to be doing today. "Oh…" Then, so quickly it actually startled Winter, Ruby's face lit up once again. "Okay! Let's get started! What do we do first?"

Winter cocked her head at the girls out of place enthusiasm. The young leader was not alone, as both Blake and Yang gained a determined glint in their eyes. Weiss was also looking at them, Winter noting the hint of pride on her face.

Winter smirked. Yes, this would be fascinating indeed.

* * *

 **One hour later**

"Spread your fingers apart just a bit, Ruby. Keep your focus… yes, just like that!"

As Winter watched the red glyph above her head slowly double its size, she felt a swirl of satisfaction in her chest. Taking into account that this was their first real experience using glyphs, Weiss' team was doing surprisingly well. Better than she could have expected.

For simplicity's sake, Winter had broken down the barrier glyph training into three parts: size, platforms, and combat. Once each girl had mastered the first step, she would move them onto the next. Blake had taken to the practice surprisingly well, having near perfect control altering her glyphs' proportions in under ten minutes. Yang and Ruby had been a bit trickier, the younger sister having trouble with the minute movements required of her fingers to change the glyphs' sizes, while the older seemed to have trouble with control in general. Still, with some pointers from both Weiss and herself, Winter had enough confidence in their limited ability to move onto something more, as Yang had put it, 'fun'.

"Coming through!"

Looking upwards, Winter just caught sight of Yang landing onto Ruby's glyph, running across it's surface before leaping off, summoning her own glyph directly under herself. Blake was hot on her heels, forming a violet glyph in front of Yang's as Ruby's faded away behind her.

It had started simply enough, with Winter having them focus on making glyphs strong enough to stand on. As Weiss soon warned her, however, it took Yang a mere five minutes after making a consistently strong glyph, to turn the whole concept of the training into a game. Using her glyphs, she set to creating a constantly changing obstacle course in the upper level of the warehouse. A mere yell of encouragement and roll of amber eyes later, and Blake had soon joined her, flipping through the air with stunning grace. Ruby, unable to join in the fun properly, settled for randomly adding her own glyphs into the mix, still trying to change their size consistently.

"Bizarre, isn't it?"

Weiss' voice broke Winter from her thoughts. The younger Schnee had wandered over to her, leaving Ruby to practice on her own. Winter followed her sister's gaze, watching as Blake, Yang, and now, after another yell of invitation, Penny, ran laps in the air, leaping and weaving through the ceiling's supports and catwalks, landing on their self-made platforms.

"That's one word for it," Winter agreed.

Truthfully, as she listened to Yang's constant laughs and taunts ("C'mon, Penny! Don't tell me I'm faster than the super bot!") there was a part of her that wanted to berate them all, because _their Semblance was one of the few proud things left of their family's legacy,_ not _a plaything!_ But as she watched the teens use their new powers for… well, _fun_ … it somehow brought a smile to her face.

"Thank you for helping them," Weiss said warmly, her own bright smile in place. "You didn't have to."

Winter spared her a glance, then looked back to the team. "Yes, well… If they're going to have our Semblance, the least I can do is ensure they use it properly." She paused for a moment as Blake pulled off an impressive feat, using two vertical glyphs to wall-run ahead of Yang and Penny, much to Yang's annoyance. "You realise teaching them more then this is going to be extremely difficult."

Weiss let out a beleaguered sigh. "I _know_. Just thinking about try to get Yang and Ruby to understand time-stop glyphs… or, Dust-forbid, _summoning…_ ugh…" She pinched the bridge of her nose, groaning.

Winter smirked at her misfortune. "They have a long way to go before they reach those skills." After a moment's thought, she offered, "General Ironwood has me stationed here in Vale for the foreseeable future. If you like, we can make these training sessions a regular event… when I have the time, of course."

Weiss blinked, then gave her a rare, unrestrained smile. "Thank you. That means a lot."

Winter merely hummed in acknowledgement, smiling gently. Then she frowned, turning her attention back to the training teens. "What are they doing?"

Weiss followed her line of sight, then groaned. Yang, Blake, and Penny had returned to the ground, circled in a huddle with Ruby just out of earshot. Yang was speaking rapidly, a manic grin on her lips as she gestured around wildly. Whatever she was saying, Ruby soon sported an excited smile of her own, while Blake shook her head in exasperation. Penny tilted her head at Yang, nodding every few words with a thoughtful look on her face.

" _Great_ ," Weiss huffed. "Yang has an idea."

Concern grew in Winter's chest at her sister's tone. "Should we be worried?"

Weiss sighed. "For _her_ , maybe." At Winter's questioning brow, she explained. "Yang tends to leap before she looks. Same with Ruby."

Still perplexed, Winter replied, "Well, I doubt she could do anything that dangerous…"

Winter trailed off as the girls broke apart, evidently reaching a decision. Yang gave a fist pump as she turned to face the corpse of the Paladin. Ruby and Blake stood on either side of her, looking intently at the air above them. Penny suddenly lept up, using two of her blades to hover up onto a catwalk spanning the width of the warehouse, directly above the destroyed Mech.

Winter's eyes narrowed. "What are they…?"

Yang suddenly hunched over, her whole body tensing. Ruby and Blake lifted their arms, each of their hands forming the gesture for a barrier glyph.

Weiss' breath hitched. "Oh, you can't be… Yang!"

Winter looked rapidly from her sister to her team. "What? What's she-?"

 _Schriiing!_

In near tandem, Blake and Ruby's hands glowed, summoning two glyphs each. Two red glyphs appeared directly in front of them at differing heights, while two violet vertical ones materialized on either side of the mech.

Winter had barely a moment to question this when Yang _moved._

A yellow blur shot across the warehouse floor, trailing yellow flower petals in it's wake. It seemed to leap up off the ground, skipping across the two red glyphs, then streaked toward the left of the Paladin. It hit the first violet glyph, bouncing upwards over the mech, hitting the underside of the catwalk with a violent _clang!_ , then to the other glyph.

Not really processing what what was happening, Winter gasped as the yellow blur sailed off the violet glyph, out into the open air. Just when she thought it was going to slam into and through the far wall, a yellow glyph appeared from nowhere directly in front of it. The blur bounced off the yellow glyph, sailing up into the air back the way it came. It arched across the warehouse, skimming the ceiling, before crashing onto the catwalk beside Penny.

The moment the blur stopped moving, it exploded into a sea of yellow petals, revealing a breathless and stunned Yang. She looked down at herself, at Penny beside her, then to the warehouse floor below. The wildest, craziest grin Winter had ever seen spread across her lips as she threw both fists into the air. "Woo! Yeah! I did… oh, crap!"

Yang's legs suddenly gave out from under her, Penny swooping in to catch her before she fell.

"Yang!" Blake shouted in panic, already moving towards the catwalk. "Are you okay!?"

"I-I'm good!" Yang shouted back, trying to shake her head clear as Penny helped her stand. "I'm freaking exhausted, but I'm good!" She let out an excited cackle, lavender eyes slightly unfocused. "I'm _great_! That was… that was AWESOME!"

Winter blinked dumbly as Penny started hovering back to the ground, Yang cradled in her arms. Watching Ruby hobble over to them, babbling about about how 'epic' her sister's performance was, the elder Schnee looked at Weiss from the corner of her eye. "You said that you four can use _all_ of each other's Semblances?"

Weiss swallowed nervously, eyes glued to her girlfriends As she replied shakily. "We think so."

"So… _you_ are capable of doing _that_?"

Weiss nodded mechanically. "P-Possibly."

Winter took a slow breath. "Well…" She eventually said. "This is going to be… _interesting_ , to say the least."

* * *

 **A/n: Pretty much a whole chapter from Winter's P.o.V. Add that to the list of things I never thought I'd do in this fic.**

 **I know I promised a few things that didn't show up in this chapter, but I felt those would work better in a latter chapter. Don't worry, we'll get to it all eventually.**

 **Next chapter… well, let me put it this way. Our favorite girls are going to be** _ **~rolling around at the speed of sound!~**_

 **See ya then!**


	43. Chapter 43: Coffee and Cream

**Chapter 43: Coffee and Cream**

 **Tuesday, Beacon's Infirmary**

"Just one more buckle, Miss Rose. _Please_ hold still."

Ruby groaned impatiently from her bedside perch, wishing that the nurse would hurry up. It had been almost an hour since the nurse said she could finally, _finally_ , get the cursed brace off her leg. It should have been off much sooner, but given how quickly she had healed ,the nurse had insisted on running tests to make sure her leg really was strong enough to stand on.

Yang chuckled, leaning against the wall as she watched her sister squirm. "Calm down, Sis. You're almost free."

Ruby pouted as the nurse fiddled with the brace. "But I want to _run_. You have no idea how much I wanted to during detention."

Detention that day had been the most bizarre thing they'd done at Beacon yet: capturing Grimm for Port's class. Nothing too dangerous, Boarbatusks and small Beowolves, but still; after being taught to only kill the creatures of darkness, it had been a novel experience trying to capture them alive. One that left most of them with bruises (or, in Sun's case, a bitten tail, courtesy of a puppy-sized Beowulf.)

With Port's leadership, it hadn't been all _that_ hard. The man had such a thorough understanding of the forest that he knew exactly where to go to find certain Grimm all on their own, where there'd be no danger of getting outnumbered by the beasts. Then he'd give them orders, things like having Weiss summon a gravity glyph under a charging Boarbatusk at just the right time. Or having Penny distract a Nevermore by flying circles around it while, Sun and Neptune prepared to jump on its back.

For Ruby, it had been pure torture. The way she saw it, fighting Grimm in such a way didn't seem so like so much a punishment as an exciting new way to train. Which is why being stuck on the sidelines, watching everyone else have all the fun while being forced to listen to Port's endless commentary and anecdotes, was putting this day at the top of her short list of worst days ever.

Of course, it would all would be forgotten if she could finally just _get this freaking brace off!_

Yang smiled a bit, Ruby's _Impatience_ and _Anticipation_ making her true meaning clear: I want to run _with you_. "I know, Ruby." She said patiently. "Just a little longer."

"Or, right now."

There was a small snapping sound, and Ruby felt the pressure around her leg disappear. The nurse unwrapped the limp brace, standing up with it in her arms. "Well, Miss Rose," she said, with a small smirk. "It seems you're free to go. Please try to go at least another month without ending up in here again."

With her leg finally free, Ruby lept off the bed, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She beamed at the nurse. "Thank you!" She shouted, making a beeline for the door.

Yang watched her go, rolling her eyes at Ruby's impatience. She nodded to the nurse in thanks, which was returned, before following her sister out.

The moment she pushed through the door, Ruby grabbed her by the arm and started dragging her. "Yang, c'mon! We gotta get to the forest before it gets too dark. Oh, this'll be so cool! C'mon, c'mon!"

Yang let herself be dragged down the halls for a bit, biting back a laugh at just how _Excited_ Ruby was. In the back of her mind, she could Feel Weiss and Blake's _Amusement_ mirroring her own. When they had nearly reached the school exit, Yang decided to reign Ruby in a bit.

"Ruby." Yang laughed as Ruby tugged even harder when Yang tried to slow down. "Ruby!" Digging in her heels, Yang pulled hard, spinning Ruby around and planting her hands on her sister's shoulders. Kneeling down just enough to be eye level with her, Yang said, "Hey! I know this is kind of impossible for you, but you need to _slow_. _Down_."

"But… but, but," Ruby gave her the puppy-dog eyes, like Yang had taken away her favorite toy. "But I can run again! And you can run! And Blake, and Weiss! We can-"

"I know!" Yang chuckled. "Ruby, I _know_. I know how excited you are that we can all run together. But I need you to calm down and _breathe_ for just five minutes."

Ruby pouted. "Okay…" she grumbled.

"Good. Now, think for a second. Remember what happened to me when I tried using your Semblance at first?"

Ruby frowned. "You lost yourself, then crashed."

Yang huffed a laugh. "Yeah. _Hard_. And I had a pretty good idea what I was in for. Do you think Blake and Weiss are gonna be any better?"

It took a moment, but Ruby soon wilted, her shoulders slumping. "Oh, I don't want them to go through that. What do we do?"

Yang shook her head. "Don't think there's much we can do about that part. But, _maybe_ we can help them out with the aftermath." At Ruby's questioning look, she asked, "Wanna see if we can raid the school pantry?"

Ruby blinked. Then she smiled widely. "Race you there!"

Before Yang could say another word, Ruby blurred away, leaving rose petals in her wake.

Yang stared down the hall for a second, then ran a hand down her face. "And she forgot we're keeping this Affinity stuff a secret." Running after her at normal speed, Yang grumbled to herself. _I really need to check if there's such a thing as 'speed deprivation', 'cause Ruby gets it real bad._

Again, Yang felt Blake and Weiss' _Humor_ , though this time directed at herself.

"Yeah, yeah, keep laughing, you two," Yang muttered with a smirk. "You'll both be sharing this headache real soon."

* * *

 **Beacon's Airfield**

"Well. I guess Ruby's already up and running."

Weiss giggled in response as she and Blake stepped off the Bullhead, their arms loaded down with shopping bags. "Probably. She's already annoying Yang."

Blake laughed with her, leading them up the path back to the school. It had been a quick run into the city, just to pick up the new scrolls Weiss had ordered for them all. There had been a bit of arguing on her girlfriends' part, each saying that Weiss didn't need to go and buy them all scrolls, let alone the latest model. Weiss had shut them all down rather quickly, saying that it was no problem. They needed new scrolls, she had the money, and she wanted to.

Plus, while they were in town, it gave Weiss the chance to sneak off and look up a certain… _special_ gift she wanted to get them all. She just had to find the right time to ask them all about it.

"So," Blake said as they walked up the path. "Are you excited about later?"

Weiss jumped, her stomach dropping. Did… did Blake just read my mind?

"U-Um…" She stuttered awkwardly. "A-About what?"

Blake quirked a brow at her tone. "Learning Ruby's Semblance. Why, what did you think I meant?"

Weiss' brow shot up, relief flooding her. "Oh! Oh, yes, Ruby's Semblance, of course that's what you meant. What else?" She giggled nervously, hoping Blake would buy it.

From Blake's unimpressed look, she hadn't, but chose not to comment. "So?" She asked instead.

Letting herself calm, Weiss thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. I mean," she added quickly, seeing Blake's questioning look. "I want to be able to use this power, of course, but…"

Blake nodded in understanding, feeling Weiss' unease. "It's weird since it's not supposed to be _our_ power?"

Weiss nodded. "Exactly. Plus, the thought of _Ruby_ teaching us is... different."

Blake chuckled as they passed between two buildings, entering the main courtyard. "I know what you mean. Still, it shouldn't be too bad. You already did it once, right?"

Weiss groaned. "Apparently. To bad I don't remember how I did it… or even noticed when it happened."

"Well, we'll just have to see. Between her and Yang, we should be able to get started at least."

Weiss hummed, conceding the point. A thought struck her. "You know, now that I think about it… I don't know what _your_ Semblance is, Blake."

Blake blinked in surprise. Then, she gave a sheepish smile, her ears wilting at the sides. "Yeah, I haven't really had to use it for a while. Sorry."

"It's alright," Weiss assured her. "It just struck me as odd, given our… _unique_ situation."

Blake giggled in agreement. "Good point. Though, I'm not sure what use my Semblance could be to you three. All I can do is-"

"Hey, Blake!"

A sudden shout cut of Blake's words. The pair turned to face the voice, towards a collection of picnic tables. It was Velvet who was calling them over, Coco eyeing them from behind her aviators. Books and papers were strewn about the their table's surface, likely the result of an outdoor study date.

Blake's face lit up when she saw who it was. "Velvet! Hey, what…"

To Weiss' confusion, Blake trailed off suddenly, blinking. Then her smile grew wider. Velvet must have noticed this, her cheeks tinting as she ducked her head a bit. Still smiling, she waved them over to their table. Blake went instantly, Weiss trailing behind her uncertainly. She had a vague idea of what this would be about, but she wasn't sure how to feel about it.

"So," Blake said, sitting down across from the pair. "It seems you didn't waste time."

Velvet smiled bashfully, eyes darting towards Coco, who smirked back. Weiss didn't quite understand, until Coco turned her head. Just above the ruffled collar of her shirt, there was a small splotch of purple on her neck, surrounded by a ring of teeth marks. Flecks of light tan showed through the healing bruise, faint against Coco's skin. Weiss' brow rose in recognition.

"Yes, well…" Velvet trailed off awkwardly.

Coco rolled her eyes behind her aviators, her smirk fading to a fond smile. "What Vel's trying to say is, after you two had your little talk Sunday, she told me about this whole Mate's Mark thing later that night."

Blake's brow rose. "You didn't know about it?" After being together so long, she'd assumed…

Coco cocked a brow at her. "No, I didn't." She then turned fully towards Velvet, putting a hand on the Faunus' head, right between her long ears. With faux-anger, she griped, "And I'm still not too happy she kept it a secret from me for so long."

Velvet pouted, her ears sagging at the sides. "Coco, I told you-"

"I know why you did it, Vel," Coco said, her voice lowering to a warm whisper as she rubbed the back of Velvet's ear with her thumb. "And it's very sweet. But you should know me better by now."

Velvet didn't really respond outside of a bashful nod, smiling as she leaned into Coco's touch.

Weiss was surprised at the interaction, and slowly turned to Blake. She'd made it sound like petting a Faunus' ears like that was meant to be private. Though, judging from Blake's slight blush, and her averting her eyes from the pair, maybe there was still truth to that. Weiss caught Blake's gaze, and the Cat-Faunus shot her a look that clearly said, ' _I'll explain_ _later'_.

"Anyway," Coco went on, retracting her hand. "Velvet gave me a crash course on Mate's Marks, then gave me this." She ran her fingertips over her fledgling Mark. "But, she said that in order for me to do the same for her, we need your help. How exactly is that going to go down?"

Blake, having fought off her blush, frowned in thought. "I'm not really sure. I think that all I need to do is get Velvet's Mark started, then have you take over."

Coco grimaced slightly. "By 'get it started', you mean you'll have to bite Velvet."

Sensing Coco's unease and seeing Velvet's face tint, Blake's ears pulled back in worry. "Y-Yes. That's right." Blake shrank under the fashionista's gaze, Coco's frown deepening. "I'm sorry?"

Coco kept up her glare, until Velvet elbowed her softly in the side, pouting in reprimand. After a moment, Coco sighed, pulling off her glasses. "Look," she said, her brown eyes meeting Blake and Weiss' both. "I'm not going to pretend I fully understand this whole thing yet. But, it's important to Velvet…" She glanced to Velvet, her girlfriend smiling back. "And… it _is_ really nice being able to… _Feel_ her like this. So… if you'll give us your help, we'll take it."

Blake smiled kindly. "I'm happy to do it. I'm just not sure quite… _how_."

Coco frowned. "Well, that's a bit of a problem. My Mark is only gonna last a week at most."

"I could look up more on it."

The three turned in surprise towards Weiss. The heiress winced internally at the sudden attention, but met their stares evenly.

"You could?" Coco asked, her eyes narrowed slightly.

Weiss nodded, looking Coco in the eye. "I found the story that help us become Mates. If I re-read the myth, cross-reference some of the details, maybe I can work out exactly what we have to do."

Coco tilted her head back a little, a thoughtful gleam in her narrowed eyes. Velvet, on the other hand, was ecstatic. She leaned forward in her seat, asking excitedly, "Could you? That would be amazing Weiss."

Weiss smiled. "It's no problem. I'll look into it later, and get back to you as soon as I can."

Velvet was practically bouncing in her seat. "Great! Oh, wait, here, let me give you my scroll number."

As Velvet scribbled down her number on a spare scrap of paper, Coco looked between Weiss and Blake in interest. ""So… you two are really Mated?" She asked, a hint of skepticism in her voice. "To each other, and to Ruby and Yang?"

Catching her tone, Blake and Weiss frowned at each other. "Yes..." Blake replied slowly. "Is there something wrong with that?"

Coco shrugged, pointedly ignoring Velvet's warning glance. "Not really, you do you. It just seems a little… _odd…_ " No one missed her sharp look towards Weiss. "All things considered."

Velvet elbowed her girlfriend in the side, her ears drooping down her back. " _Coco!" S_ he hissed in reprimand.

Weiss sighed, closing her eyes. She had a good idea as to what Coco was implying. Blake did as well, given the quick shot of _Indignation_ that shot up Weiss' spine. Weiss sent over a quick burst of _Calm_ and _Assurance,_ mindful of the sour look Blake was no doubt sending Coco's way. "You are referring to my family's history with Faunuskind?" She asked, her crystal blue eyes meeting Coco's deep brown.

Coco raised a slight brow. "Partly. I'm talking more about how you wouldn't stop scowling at every Faunus you passed in the halls your first couple months here." Her eyes darkened considerably. "Velvet included."

Weiss blinked. Okay, so not _exactly_ what she thought, but not too far off. "Ah. Well," She shot Blake a look, unable to keep feelings of guilt from rising to the surface. Blake's sympathetic smile reassured her that she'd forgiven that long ago. Weiss took a short breath, looking back to Coco. "My father has a very… _vocal_ opinion about the Faunus people. One that he made sure me and my brother shared. Coming here to Beacon-" _And being away from him,_ she added silently. "-opened my eyes quite a bit."

Coco just stared into Weiss eyes for a long minute, as if searching for something. Velvet kept glancing between the two, like she was worried Coco was about to instigate something.

"...okay," Coco eventually said, leaning back in her seat. "I can buy that."

The other three at the table let out a collective breath. "That's it?" Weiss couldn't help but ask.

Coco shrugged shamelessly, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Pretty much. Just seemed kind of strange that you went from the Ice Queen to, well…" She waved vaguely between Blake and Weiss.

Weiss smiled, unable to deny Coco's point. "Yes, well…" She looked to Blake, eyes asking. Blake grinned back, offering her upturned hand. Weiss took it in her own, squeezing gently. "It's been an enlightening few months."

Coco was full on smirking now, scooting a bit closer to Velvet on the bench, draping her arm over her shoulders. "Yeah, I know the feeling."

Velvet blushed a little, before handing her number across the table. Blake said her thanks, reaching out to take it, when she suddenly stiffened. At her side, Weiss' eyes widened in the same instant.

"Uh…" Coco droned uncertainly. "Something wro-?" She jumped when Blake and Weiss abruptly slammed their hands down on the table, right over Coco and Velvet's books and papers. "What-?"

Coco got her answer as a red whirlwind shot out of the school entrance, streaking across the grounds. It weaved through the throng of students milling about, darting around aimlessly, until it circled around their table, Ruby Rose's form materializing behind Blake and Weiss. A blast of air arrived a second after her, rustling the paperwork held tightly under Blake and Weiss' palms. Rose petals drifted in the wind, covering every surface around them.

"Blake!" Ruby shouted, bouncing from one foot to the other. "Weiss! Look, I can run again! We can- oh, hi Coco! Hi Velvet!" Ruby spared the now-confused partners a brief glance, before looking back down at Blake and Weiss, who had turned their heads to face her. "C'mon, we only have a couple hours till night time. If we hurry, we can catch Proffessor Port before he leaves!"

"Ruby!" Blake tried to say over her leader's hyperness. "Wait just a-"

But Ruby was currently in her own world, already speaking again. "I'll run ahead. See you there!"

In another flash of red, Ruby was gone, leaving rose petals and overturned students in her wake.

Weiss groaned as she straightened her back, glancing at the table to make sure no books or papers had been blown away, even as a huff of laughter escaped her lips. "Seems she didn't waste time." She said to Blake.

Blake smirked back. "You expected her to?"

" _Dammit, Ruby!"_ Yang's voice suddenly boomed from the school entrance, the blonde running out the doors as fast as she could towards the red dot in the distance. She didn't even notice Blake and Weiss as she charged through the crowd of students, gritting her teeth in annoyance. "I told you to wait for me!"

Weiss rolled her eyes as the sisters disappeared from view, making to stand. To Velvet and Coco, she said, "Sorry, but we better follow them before Ruby gets even antsier."

Velvet waved her off. "It's fine, we get it. You'll call if you find something?"

Blake nodded, taking the piece of paper Velvet offered. "You can count on it."

After exchanging goodbyes, Blake and Weiss ran off in Ruby's direction, leaving Coco and Velvet alone. Watching them go, Coco chuckled. "A whole team of girlfriends. That is a whole new level of different."

Velvet nodded, humming. "I don't know how they do it. They seem happy, though." She waited for a moment, then turned to Coco. "You owe Weiss an apology, you know."

Coco groaned, her eyes rolling up. "C'mon, Vel, you know why I was angry."

"Yes," Velvet replied, her eyes somehow both stern and humorous.. "And it was _very sweet_. You're still apologizing to her."

Coco gave an exaggerated huff. She wasn't even going to try and resist Velvet's famous droopy-eared pout, smiling fondly as she turned back to their homework. "Yes, ma'am…"

* * *

 **A/n: Okay, this wasn't really meant to be a whole chapter by itself, but writer's block is kind of kicking my butt, and I didn't want to leave you guys without a chapter for so long. All goes well, I should have the next one by this weekend.**

 **Also, side note: After watching the most recent episodes, I am very surprised and very happy. Some of the things we've just learned line up** _ **perfectly**_ **with what I've been planning for this story. That never happens! Thanks RT!**

 **Although, for some other parts… F*** you, Adam. F***** _ **YOU!**_


	44. Chapter 44: Speed

**Chapter 44: Speed**

 **Ten minutes later, Emerald Forest**

"We really appreciate this, Professor Port."

"Oh, think nothing of it, Miss Rose!" The portly professor boomed as he lead the four girls deep into the Emerald Forest, towards a clearing he had claimed as his own. "I had planned to remain here for a few hours more anyway. It's no trouble to escort you. Especially after the help you gave me earlier."

"Uh, no offense, Sir," Yang interjected, shifting the weight of the borrowed duffle bag hanging from her shoulder. "But we didn't really have a choice in helping you. Detention and all?"

On either side of her, Blake and Weiss nodded in agreement..

Port shook his head, quirking his grand mustache. "Regardless, voluntary or not, you all saved me hours of work capturing these mighty beasties."

As if in answer, a howl sounded from directly in front of them. As the group stepped out into the clearing, several sets of molten yellow eyes tracked their every movement. Six cages of various sizes lay strewn about the area, each one housing an agitated Grimm. Two Bourbotusks, two Beowolves, a tiny Nevermore, and, caught by Port himself, a very large and very angry Ursa Major.

The bearlike Grimm reared up on its hind legs as they passed its prison, roaring in rage as it slammed its paws against the bars.

"Yes, yes, bellow all you like," Port dismissed the creature with a wave. "You're not getting out of there until the Senior class' pop quiz come Friday."

At his words, the Mated members of Team RWBY shared a look, each one having the same sense of disbelief and unease. If an Ursa Major was part of a pop quiz, what the heck did Port do for the actual tests?

As they marching passed the row of cages, Ruby said to the professor, "We're going to do a few little experiments before we try for real."

Port nodded with a chuckle. "Of course, of course. Merely give me a warning before you head off. I'll be back examining our new friends in the meantime."

The girls nodded to him as he walked away, while they continued to the opposite edge of the clearing, far enough away that the roars of the captured Grimm weren't too distracting. Once the howls and growls had faded to mere white noise, Ruby whirled around, putting her hands on her hips as she faced her girlfriends and sister.

"Alright, team," She started, going into her own rendition of 'drill instructor mode'. "Day one of Ruby Rose's Superspeed Academy begins now!"

Weiss rolled her eyes with a huff, a slight smile tugging at her lips. "Ruby, must you do this?"

"Yes, I must!" Ruby punctuated her sentence with a sharp jab in Weiss' direction.

Yang and Blake chuckled at her antics. "Okay, seriously, Ruby," Yang said. "How do you want to go about this?"

Ruby pouted at them all. "You're all no fun," She muttered with no bite. She cupped her chin, looking up at the sky in thought. "Well, the first thing we should do is make sure that Blake and Weiss can activate my Semblance."

Yang nodded in agreement, while Blake and Weiss shared a look. "How… _exactly_ do we do that, Ruby?" Weiss asked, crossing her arms.

Ruby blinked, then smiled. "Oh, that's easy! You just need to…" She trailed off, looking down at her hands. She frowned. "First you…" She flexed her hands, her fingertips blurring red. Ruby tilted her head at them, thinking. "Hmm…"

Confused, Blake and Weiss looked to each other again. Yang bit back a chuckle at her sister's expense, like she was in on some joke. Glancing at her, Blake turned her attention to the young leader. "Something wrong, Ruby?"

Ruby looked up from her hands, surprised. She smiled sheepishly. "Oh! Sorry. Um… it's just that…" She struggled with her words for a moment, speaking as much to herself as them. "I know what you guys have to do, but… I'm not sure how to explain it."

"Want me to try, Sis?" Yang asked, surprising the monochrome pair.

"How could you explain it better than Ruby could, Yang?" Weiss asked with a frown.

Yang just grinned, stepping next to Ruby. "Easy. See, when Ruby's Semblance first started acting up, it took me, Dad, and our Uncle Qrow a lot of thinking to figure out exactly how she could control it."

Seeing Blake and Weiss' surprised expressions, Ruby nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Before, It was really hard to use my speed when I wanted to, and a lot of times, I'd use it when I _didn't_ want to."

Yang snorted in amusement. "Yeah. Between my strength and Ruby's random speed bursts, Dad had to start buying paint and spackle in bulk just to fix all the holes in the house." Either not noticing or not caring about her girlfriends' gobsmacked expressions, Yang went on. "Anyway, we eventually latched onto the best ways for Ruby to practice her Semblance. Y'know, for her to train turning it on and keeping it on."

Blake and Weiss nodded in understanding. They'd both had similar learning curves when they we first discovering their abilities. "But…" Weiss asked, her brow furrowing as she looked to her youngest girlfriend. "I don't understand, Ruby. Why is it so hard to explain then?"

Ruby's cheeks tinted as she looked away, rubbing the back of her head bashfully. "Well… I guess 'cause… I don't use them anymore?"

"What?"

"What she means is…" Yang explained, ruffling Ruby's hair. "Ruby's gotten to the point now where she doesn't need to do those practices. Going from zero to a hundred is second nature to her now. Right Sis?"

Ruby nodded, smiling up at her big sister. "Right. I know what I have to do to use my speed, but I can't really explain it. I don't even have to think about using my speed anymore, it just kinda… happens." She shrugged helplessly, emphasising her point.

Weiss nodded, kind of getting it. "I suppose that makes sense." She then raised a brow at Yang. "That still doesn't explain how you can explain it any better, or, now that we're on the subject, how you can already use Ruby's Semblance so easily."

Weiss punctuated her sentence with a warning tone, one Blake couldn't help but agree with. They'd both tried asking how Yang could already use Ruby's Semblance, but the blonde had stayed tight lipped, much to their irritation. She kept saying she'd explain it when they got to actually training.

Yang chuckled, putting her hands on her hips. "Well, first off, I wouldn't call it _easy_. Still feels like I ran to Patch and back every time I do it. _Buuut_ , as for how, it's simple: every time Ruby practiced her Semblance growing up, I was there helping her. I've always known what she has to do to use her Semblance. I just never had a reason to use it myself, obviously."

Blake hummed in thought. "So that gave you a head start."

Now Yang was the one to rub her neck sheepishly. "Well… sort of. I might be a step ahead of you and Weiss, but I'm about ten steps behind Rubes at the moment." She then shot a look at Ruby. "Tell you what, Sis. How about I give them a crash course in turning the speed on, then you take over on how to control it?"

After a moment's thought, Ruby's lips split into an excited grin. "That could work. I need to plan out a course for us anyway." Facing her girlfriends once more, Ruby slipped into her faux-teacher persona. "Alright students, change of plans! While I go mark of a running course for us, I will leave you in the experienced hands of my apprentice Yang."

Yang raised an unimpressed brow, crossing her arms. "Apprentice?"

"See you in a bit!" Without giving the slightest chance for response, Ruby ran off towards the caged Grimm to let Port know what she'd be doing.

Blake watched her go, her amusement tinged with a bit of worry. "Is Ruby okay?" She asked Yang. "She seems a bit more… impulsive than usual."

Yang waved her off with a chuckle. "She's been stuck in the slow lane for three days. She's a little hyper right now." Without warning, a red blur shot between them all, zooming out of the clearing and into the forest with an excited yell. Batting away the rose petals settling in her hair, Yang waved towards Ruby's vanishing form with a smirk. "Case and point."

Blake and Weiss giggled in agreement. Then Weiss decided to bring them back to the point at hand. "Okay, Yang. How do we get started?"

Yang looked her and Blake over, a contemplating look on her face. She took a deep breath, letting it out slow. "Well, it _is_ a little complicated. There's two main parts of Ruby's Semblance you need to get down before we can actually try running."

"And they are?" Blake asked curiously.

At her and Weiss' perplexed looks, Yang tried to explain. "Look, turning Ruby's Semblance on is actually pretty easy. Weiss, y'know how we have to focus our aura through our arms to use your glyphs?"

"Yes," Weiss answered, confused by the seemly change of topic.

"Well, Ruby's power works kinda the same way," Blake and Weiss were surprised by that, but Yang just went on. "To use her speed, you have to focus your aura just like that, except not to your arms."

"Let me guess," Weiss piped up with a grin, the same one she had during her best classes. "We have to focus on our legs instead."

To her surprise, Yang shook her head. "Nope. I get why you'd think that," Yang assured her with a grin. "But Ruby's not just moving her legs faster with her Semblance. It's her whole body. No, to move as fast as she does, Ruby has to focus her aura somewhere a little more centralized."

Blake furrowed her brow, not quite understanding. _Centralized? What does she mean by…_ Her thoughts traied off as an idea struck her, her ears perking up in realization. If Ruby wasn't focusing her aura on her limbs, then that only left…

Blake's eyes widened as she stared at Yang. Yang smiled at her, understanding the silent question. In answer, she lifted her hand and tapped her chest, just a little to the left

Blake's pupils shrank. "Her heart?" She murmured in disbelief. Weiss looked to her in surprise, surprise which quickly turned to open-mouthed shock. "Ruby's focusing aura into her heart?"

Yang nodded with a grin. "Yep. Not quite sure how it works, but if Ruby pumps enough aura into her heart, it starts beating faster, jump-starting her Semblance. The faster she makes her heart beat, the more speed her Semblance puts out."

Weiss shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, staring off in the direction Ruby had run. "That sounds… dangerous."

Yang's grin lessened a bit as a sigh passed her lips. "Yeah… Ruby's Semblance had a lot of side effects, at least until she got a handle on it." She chuckled ruefully. "We, on the other hand, are going to have to deal with them if we want to get anywhere near her speed."

Blake swallowed nervously, her ears pinning back. "What kind of side effects are we talking about?"

Yang let out a beleaguered breath, her brows coming together as she thought hard. "It's not really something you can put into words." She hummed to herself, then nodded sharply. She met their eyes with a determined glint in her own. "Let's see if you two can turn it on first. You'll see what I mean yourselves."

Blake and Weiss shared a meaningful look, both more than a little nervous. Manipulating aura into a body part was a fairly common ability, one both of them need to do in order to use their own Semblances. But to do it to their heart? It just seemed… risky.

After a moment's contemplation, Weiss bit her bottom lip and nodded to Blake. Blake returned the gesture. They'd agreed to train their Affinity as a team, and if this is what was required for Ruby's portion of it, they'd give it their best shot.

When they turned back to Yang, _Determination_ radiating off them, the blonde clapped her hands together with a grin. "Okay, let's get started. Like I said, it's pretty simple. Just start concentrating your aura into your heart. Remember though, you're not cycling your aura like we did with Weiss' Semblance. Think of your heart like… I don't know, a balloon or something. Focus your aura into your heart, and keep it there. Don't let it out."

Blake closed her eyes, taking a calming breath like Yang said. Unintentionally, she slipped into the blank void of their Link, seeing the wispy forms of Weiss and Yang's aura. She could feel Yang's patient curiosity and both Weiss' _Determination_ and _Uncertainty_. Off in the distance, a streak of red blurred through the darkness. Bubbly _Happiness_ and _Excitement_ tickled the back of Blake's mind, Ruby's feelings radiating out as she ran.

Blake held onto those feelings, using them to bolster her own confidence. She focused inward, on the dark violet of her aura coursing through her body. Remembering what she needed to do, she tried visualizing her aura moving, converging at a single point within her chest.

She could feel it working, the left side of her chest becoming cooler as her aura pooled around her heart. But… she didn't feel any different. After a couple minutes, all the while feeling Weiss' own frustrations, Blake voiced her concerns. "Yang, I don't think it's working."

"It takes a while for the first time," Yang's reassuring voice came from Blake's left, suggesting she'd moved to stand between her and Weiss. "Just keep focusing. Listen to your heartbeat and picture it speeding up. You won't even realize it's working until it hits."

Blake gave a tiny nod, shifting her thoughts. She did as Yang said, picturing her aura entering her heart and staying there.

It was subtle at first. Her heart had already been going a little faster then normal just out of nerves, but then, she felt a twinge. Like her heart had skipped a beat. Slowly, she could feel her heartbeat increase. At first, she thought it was just from excitement, but then it kept climbing. Despite not moving, her heart was acting like she'd just run a marathon.

 _I...I think it's working,_ Blake thought to herself. _This has to be what… what Yang… wait… what…?_

Something felt wrong. Her hands started shaking, her palms starting to sweat. A pounding started in her head, growing stronger by the second. A chill ran up her spine spreading out until her whole body began to tremble. Her breath grew choppy and quick, and her chest _hurt_.

And her heart kept beating faster and faster and _faster still._

" _Blake, Weiss_!"

Something slammed hard into Blake's back, knocking out what little breath she had left. Her eyes flew open, her hands flying to her chest as her heart hammered away at ludicrous speeds.

She was dimly aware someone rubbing soothing circles on her back, muttering calming words of encouragement.

"Hey, it's okay. You're both just fine. Just take long, deep breaths, okay?"

Blake slowly turned her head, taking deep shuddering breaths. Yang was the one at her side, rubbing circles just below her neck with one hand. Just on the blonde's other side, Weiss stared at Yang with wide, fearful eyes, her face white as a sheet.

"Y-Yang?" Weiss asked shakily. "W-W-What was…?"

"Okay, you both need to sit down before you fall over." Yang gently grasped them both by the shoulder and started to kneel. Neither girl was in much condition to resist, letting Yang guide them to the ground until they were all sitting side by side. Yang's hands never moved from their shoulders as she looked between them, worry plain on her face. "Are you two okay now?"

Blake had no idea. Her heart had slowed back down to somewhat normal, now just pounding away due to whatever the _hell_ had just happened.

A sudden pressure on top of her head made Blake jump, before she realized it was just Yang's hand. Nails gently scraped the base of her cat ears. Blake stiffened at the contact, but melted almost immediately, taking comfort in the slow scratches as her eyes slipped closed.

"Blake?"

Her amber eyes opened after a minute. She'd leaned further against Yang in her daze, and was reluctant to pull away. She swallowed thickly before she could talk, looking into lavender eyes. "I… I think so." Across from her, Weiss nodded weakly, the heiress hanging onto Yang's shoulder just as tightly, pink dusting her cheeks. Licking her dry lips, Blake asked. "What just happened?"

Yang let out a long sigh. "The side effect I mentioned. Let me guess; you both felt like your heart was trying to blast its way out of your chest? Cold sweat, clammy hands?

Weiss shuddered. "Exactly." She looked to Yang, completly confused. "What did we do wrong?"

Yang managed a weak chuckle, pulling her two girlfriends a little closer to her chest. "That's the thing Weiss. You didn't."

"What?"

"You did it perfectly, Weiss. Both of you did."

Despite still being rather pale, Weiss managed an impressive glare. "Yang, there was nothing perfect about that! It felt like… it felt like I was having an anxiety attack!"

Blake nodded in agreement, leaning into Yang's shoulder. That was the best way she could describe it too.

Yang met Weiss' glare with a sympathetic smile. "That's what I mean, Weiss." When Weiss just stared incredulously, Yang went on. "Look, even though it's what you need to make Ruby's Semblance work, the human heart isn't suppose to beat that fast. Your body thinks something is wrong with your heart, and so… well, you felt it!"

Weiss could only stare at her. "That… but that's… Yang, it didn't even work!"

At that, Yang's smile widened a bit. She arched an eyebrow. "Oh, no?" She then looked down at the ground, grinning wryly.

Frowning, Blake and Weiss followed her gaze. Amber and blue eyes widened in shock.

Scattered on the ground around them, fluttering in the breeze, were dozens of white and _black_ rose petals.

Hesitantly, Blake reached out, grasping a few of the delicate petals between her fingertips. She rolled them in her hand, feeling the familiar texture, before letting them settle in her palm. "I-It worked?" She breathed to herself.

Yang must have heard, because she chuckled. "Yep. It was only for a second, but you both blurred in place and started shedding these off."

Weiss looked up from her own petals, her brow furrowed. "But… I didn't feel it. Just that…" She paused, eyes narrowing in realization. " _That's_ what her Semblance feels like?"

Yang nodded with a grim smile. "Yep."

"But…" Weiss looked from Yang, to the petals, to Blake, and back again, trying to comprehend what Yang was getting at. "It feels so… _wrong_."

Yang snorted. "Welcome to life with a physical Semblance. The human body is built to work a certain way, and when our Semblances try to push past its 'normal' limits, your body lets you know how unhappy it is." Before either of them could question how she knew that, Yang was already explaining. "Mine works kind of similar, so it wasn't so bad for me to adjust."

Blake nodded slowly, trying to wrap her head around the concept. "But… Ruby makes her Semblance sound so… _fun_. She's always so happy when she's running. If this is how she feels all the time..."

Yang cut her off with a shake of her head. "You're forgetting something. Ruby's had her Semblance for almost seven years now. She's so use to how her power feels that her heart doesn't freak out like yours just did. It's just like, 'Oh, time for superspeed now!'" She bumped her shoulders against each of theirs, smirking a bit. "And she ain't wrong. I love my strength, but moving at Ruby's speed is one hell of a rush. Trust me, once you get use to the feeling and start running, you'll know exactly what I mean."

The three were silent after that. Blake didn't know how to really feel, and judging from her pursed lips and clenched hands, neither did Weiss. "Does it get easier?" Blake asked eventually.

Pulling them both closer to her, Yang grinned. "Yeah, eventually. Like I said, Ruby doesn't get those feelings anymore. It'll just take time for you body to realize that there's nothing wrong when your heart beats that fast. We keep practicing, soon you won't even remember having problems."

Weiss bit her lip, glancing at Blake. They could all feel her _Apprehension_. "I didn't think Ruby's Semblance was so… unnerving." She eyed Yang curiously. "You're sure we can push past these feelings?"

Yang rolled her eyes, smiling fondly. "Weiss, you know what Ruby is like, _especially_ when she's running. You really think she'd be a big, hyper ball of happy if her Semblance felt like _that_ every time?"

Weiss frowned in thought. She looked to Blake, a silent question in her eyes that Blake quickly understood. She nodded in response. If Ruby could deal with these unnerving feelings and still be the bouncy, caring ray of sunshine they all loved, then they would find a way past them.

Weiss nodded back, and they both turned back to Yang. Taking a determined breath, Weiss said, "Let's try again."

Yang grinned, giving them both a tight squeeze. "Alright! You both know what you're in for now, so let's see how long you can hold it." She lept to her feet, offering each of her hands to her girlfriends to help them up.

Once they were on their feet, Blake and Weiss shared one last look, their resolve reflected in each others eyes.

 _We can do this._

* * *

 **Twenty Minutes Later…**

Ruby blasted through the forest, sending up a whirlwind of leaves wherever she went. She ran, she lept, she flew through the air; every second she was moving was like a bolt of lightning through her body.

And she was loving every second of it.

 _I'm never staying still that long again!_ She thought merrily to herself as she ran headlong into the brush. With a super-powered twirl, Crescent Rose slashed, gleaming in the evening light as she reduced bushes and small trees to kindling. Bit by bit, Ruby carved a path through the Emerald Forest, making sure to mark a tree every dozen or so yards with a shallow cut of Crescent's blade.

She slowed slightly as she made her way back to Port's clearing. Once again, she was thankful of the Link she and her team shared. Knowing exactly where they were at a moment's thought was so much easier than having to check her scroll's map every two minutes. Plus, she didn't even have to stop to do it.

With one last bound, Ruby passed the very first tree she'd marked at the start of her run, signaling that she'd made a full loop through the forest. With a proud grin, she canceled out her Semblance, letting the air of her slipstream blast past in a satisfying gust. Slightly winded after such a long run, Ruby walked the rest of the way to the clearing, her smile fading a bit as she stepped out of the forest.

Yang stood with her back to her, arms crossed as she looked ahead, her new scroll held loosely in her hand. She glanced back, hearing Ruby's approach. She offered her sister a brief nod and a smile, before turning back. Ruby followed her gaze her eyes widening at what met her.

Blake and Weiss stood side-by-side, eyes shut with their lips set in an uncomfortable frown. They're arms were limp at their sides, hands clenched into tight fists. Blake's ears were pinned back hard against her skull, clearly showing her distress.

Ruby noticed all that second, however. The first thing she saw was the glow around each of them, the slight blur around their forms, like they were vibrating where they stood. Around Weiss was a glow of white light. Around Blake, a two-toned aura of black and violet. Black and white rose petals fell from their bodies every few seconds, drifting to the ground towards the pile around their ankles, replacing the ones that had already faded away.

Coming up to her sister's side, Ruby whispered, "How are they doing?"

Yang hummed, whispering back, "Not too bad, really. Blake can hold it for about a minute and a half. Weiss is having a harder time, about a minute at most." She glanced towards Ruby. "They got real freaked out the first time."

Ruby grimaced. "I know. I felt it." The force of their _Shock_ and _Fear_ had been enough to stop her in her tracks, staring off in their direction until she felt their emotions calm. Looking from her practicing Mates to Yang, she asked, "Do you think they'll be able to run today?"

Yang gave the monochrome pair an appraising look. "Maybe a bit. I don't know how they'll handle the rush, though."

Ruby nodded, watching the pair shake in place. "We'll have to ask them when they stop." She breathed deeply through her nose, calming herself.

With a sudden gasp, Weiss' eyes flew open. Her trembling hands flew to her chest as she sucked in deep, ragged breaths.

Yang unfolded her arms, tapping her scroll's screen. She smirked at what she saw. "A minute-five. Much better, Weiss."

Weiss could only nod dimly, too focused on breathing to really respond. Ruby was at her side in an instant, placing one hand on Weiss' shoulder and the other over the heiress' clasped hands. "Are you okay, Weiss?"

Weiss blinked a few times, shaking away the fuzzy feeling in her skull. Once her vision cleared, she offered Ruby a warm, if strained smile. "I'm… I'm fine, Ruby." She huffed heavily, slowly regaining her breath. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she added, "When you talked about… your Semblance before… you left out… this part."

Ruby winced a bit, smiling guiltily. "It slipped my mind?" She offered weakly. "To be fair, it's a lot easier to hold when you're actually moving."

Weiss scrutinized her, then huffed a laugh. "Dolt." She breathed, leaning heavily into Ruby's arms.

A sharp intake next to them signaled Blake release, the Faunus' ears shooting up as her eyes blinked open. Her legs wobbled beneath her, but Yang was already there to steady her, wrapping her arm under her partner's.

"Minute thirty-two," the blonde noted, turning her scroll off. She smiled proudly as she helped Blake get her feet back under her, aware of the hummingbird-like heartbeat slowing beneath Blake's skin. "Pretty darn good for day one."

Blake grinned back, breathing quickly through her nose. "Thanks," She panted. Her eyes drifted over to Ruby, her head tilting slightly. "So… what next?"

Ruby frowned, looking between her exhausted girlfriends. "Well…" She started awkwardly. "I was going to say we could try running… but maybe we should wait a day?" Concern radiated from her in waves, tinged with guilt. "You both look like you could use a rest."

Weiss gulped, trying to wet her dry mouth. She shook her head faintly. "Just give us a minute," She said firmly.

Blake nodded in agreement, making sure that Ruby met her eyes. "We can give it one try before the sun sets."

Ruby glanced upwards, taking in the orange tint of the evening sky. She looked between Blake and Weiss, still hesitant. "If you're both sure…"

With an exasperated huff, Weiss pushed lightly against Ruby, telling the girl to let her go. She straightened out her back, taking advantage of the full-half inch height difference between her and her partner to look down at her. The only thing betraying her apparent recovery was her heavier than normal breathing. "See?" She smirked, only the slightest strain in her voice. "Fine."

Ruby tilted her head a bit, not quite buying it. Blake decided to throw her opinion out, stepping away from Yang to stand next to Weiss. "We want to try, Ruby. At least once today."

Still unsure, Ruby shot Yang a look, asking for help. Yang just shrugged, bobbing her head towards the path Ruby had come from. When Ruby met Blake and Weiss' eyes again, she couldn't miss the expectation shining there. Their emotions reached out to her, _Determination, Excitement, Curiosity_. Ruby let out a sigh.

"...alright," She relented, flashing them both her usual grin. "We'll try for one lap through the forest, enough for you both to get a feel for how my speed feels when you're moving."

Blake and Weiss smiled back, shaking off the last bits of their unease as they mentally prepared themselves. "So, what do we do?" Weiss asked. "Is there another exercise we have to do before we start?"

Ruby giggled a little. "No, um… the only 'exercise' my Semblance needs is just learning how to turn it on. Once you activate my Semblance, every movement you'll make will be in superspeed. From there… you just run." She shrugged a little helplessly, her smile never leaving her face. "Get a feel for the…' _feeling_ ' of it, I guess."

Weiss bit her lip. She'd been hoping for something a bit more in depth then what sounded like just trial and error. But, when she thought about it… it did sound very 'Ruby'. She nodded with a smile, which Blake mirrored. "Okay, Ruby. We'll follow your lead."

Ruby beamed back. Now that it was a done deal, her worries were quickly being replaced with excitement. Ever since they'd discovered their Affinity, she'd been imagining running as fast as she could, her teammates right alongside her. Her Semblance was such a huge part of who and what she was… she wanted the others to know how it felt, to know that rush and share the experience. Looking towards the opposite end of the clearing, she called out, "Proffesor Port!"

Standing in front of one of the cages, Port raised his eyes from his scroll, not even acknowledge the burning gaze of the Nevermore across from him. The beast let out an echoing, annoyed squawk as the mustachioed man walked away from it. "Back from your run, Miss Rose?" He asked as he approached them.

"Only for the moment, sir," She chirped, bouncing from one foot to the other. "We're about to head out as a group."

"Hm…" The professor squinted up at the darkening sky. "A bit late, all things considered."

Ruby followed his gaze, then looked to her team. She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly as she admitted. "We won't be that long."

Blake and Weiss frowned at that, Weiss feeling a tad indignant. They may not be experienced with Ruby's Semblance yet, but she made it sound like she had no faith they would make the full lap.

Neither noticed Yang stifle a giggle behind them, smirk playing on her lips as her eyes darted between the two.

Port gave Ruby a long look, then gave a stiff nod. "Very well. I only ask that you keep your scrolls at the ready. Should trouble arise, merely call for my assistance and I shall aid you forthwith!"

"Um…" Ruby paused as she processed that. "Will do, sir." She turned back to her team, eyes fixing on Blake and Weiss. "You two ready?"

They nodded back. "Whenever you are, Ruby." Blake said.

"Okay," Ruby replied with a smile. She pointed out into the forest, at a large oak with a gash carved into its side. "See that tree?" She waited for them to confirm. "I marked a path through the forest using marks like that. It's an easy curve that loops right back here. You two will follow me as I lead you down it. Yang will hang back, just in case one of you trips or something."

Blake swallowed nervously. She didn't like picturing what tripping would do at the speeds Ruby was capable of.

"So, that's it?" Weiss asked for clarification. "We just… run?"

Ruby grinned back, humor dancing in her eyes. "Mostly. Just turn on my speed and… try to keep up."

Was it just her, or did Weiss hear a challenge in Ruby's voice? She didn't even need the Link, the glint in Ruby's eye was answer enough. Lifting her chin up a bit, Weiss replied. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

Ruby gave a smile that was just shy of a smirk. With not even a blink, her form started blurring, a red haze forming around her edges. "On your marks." She goaded.

Behind them, Yang gave a brief chuckle, before she too started shaking and glowing. As the sisters looked on expectantly, Blake gave Weiss one last look. The heiress swallowed nervously, then nodded sharply. Blake breathed deeply, then focused.

The two watched as the other started shining their respective color, each trying to ignore the overwhelming panic their brains were screaming out. They looked to Ruby, nodding.

Ruby beamed, feeling even more hyped up than usual. "Okay, girls!" She whipped around, hunching slightly as she faced her self-made path. "On my mark… go!"

Port watched curiously as the familiar red streak shot off into the distance. He was nearly blown off his feet when black and white blurs blasted after it, a yellow streak hot on their heels. The wind of four speedsters taking off at the same time blew the autumn leaves off the nearest trees, leaving them completely bare.

As what looked like a contained whirlwind tore through the forest, Port could only look on with wide eyes. Soon a wide grin appeared beneath his mustache. "Extraordinary!"

* * *

 **A/n: Well, they started running. Next chapter, we answer a very important question: how do they stop? Expect hilarity, heartwarming, cuddling… and a not-so welcome guest.**

 **Yeah… the plot's about to get a jump-start. Hang on, folks, things are about to get complicated.**


	45. Chapter 45: Crash

**Chapter 45: Crash**

Deep in the Emerald Forest, the serene calm of the silent woods was broken by a flock of crows taking off as one, cawing in panic as they fled from their roost. The source of their fear was a single Beowolf, sniffing around the base of the abandoned tree. It grunted in annoyance, finding nothing of interest. It lumbered away in its constant search of food, growling at nothing. Suddenly, it inhaled deeply. A familiar scent.

Human.

It growled deeply, sniffing the air as it followed the scent. It grew stronger and stronger, the beast now running through the underbrush, trails of black dripping from its mouth. Suddenly, it came across a disturbed bit of forest. Small trees and brush had been cleared away, leaving kindling scattered around. The human's scent was strongest here. The Beowolf looked around, searching for its new meal. It's molten eyes focused on a nearby tree, a long gash slashed into it's side.

Just then, the beast heard the squawking of more birds. Turning its skull-like head towards the noise, it saw the black dots in the sky, as the disturbed birds rose into the air. Something felt off. It could feel it, something approaching. With a roar, it started running towards the birds, sure that it would find-

A bolt of red shot underneath the Beowulf. Black and white zipped around it on either side as a line appeared on its head, running perfectly up its snout and down its back. Black ichor flowed for just a moment, when a yellow streak slammed into its nose. The Beowulf flew into the air, splitting perfectly down the middle as it gave a last startled roar. The two halves crashed into the nearby trees, dissolving away on contact.

Blake heard Yang let out a frenzied laugh behind her as they sped back up, the blonde no doubt sporting a grin fueled by thrill and adrenaline. Blake couldn't even begin to blame her, because she had the same crazy smile plastered on her face.

 _This… is… amazing!_ That was the only thought Blake could have, because it was the only one that mattered.

It was unlike anything she'd experienced before. The whole world seemed to slow down, everything tinted violet around her as she _ran_. Yet, she still knew she was moving at ludicrous speeds. Everything around her was slow and accelerated, stable yet manic. It was indescribable.

The feelings from before were still there. In fact, Blake felt they'd actually gotten worse. Her entire chest felt like someone was inflating a balloon within it, her heart moving at a speed she could only describe as 'hummingbird'. But, it didn't matter. Because, as Ruby lead them through the forest, speed picking up by the second, it started to feel like _nothing_ mattered. Her worries, her fears, all the questions she'd had bouncing through her head for weeks; all gone. Just the ground beneath her feet, the torrent of blood rushing through her ears, and the whole world laid out before her.

She spared the quickest of glances towards Weiss, seeing that manic grin mirrored back at her. The heiress was blasting alongside her, white hair trailing behind her like a silver tail. The band that was always around her ponytail had disappeared, blown away forever ago by the sheer speed. Weiss either didn't notice or didn't care, just rushing along, an almost delirious laugh escaping her lips from time to time. On her Mark, Ruby's rose shone brightly against her pale skin.

Blake's few seconds of musing stopped dead as Ruby called out a warning. Blake didn't quite catch what she said, but saw Ruby suddenly jump. Blake and Weiss did the same instantly, Blake just barely catching sight of a small stream below them. She sailed through the air, feeling weightless, before coming back down far, _far_ from where she'd lept, her legs already moving when she hit the ground.

The slight loss of speed was quickly regained, Blake catching back up to Ruby in seconds. But… then she noticed something. When she reached Ruby… she had to slow down. Not much, since they were still screaming through the forest, but it was definitely noticeable. She was holding back.

Blake shot Weiss a look, seeing that the heiress had noticed the same thing. Ruby was going slower then she was capable of. She could be going so much faster.

 _They_ could be going so much faster.

If possible, their grins grew even larger, both turning their attention forward as they eyed Ruby's back.

And the forest stretching on in front of them.

* * *

Ruby was having the time of her life. Between the rush of her speed and glee of having her girlfriends and sister at her side, she was in pure heaven. Every second, her own feelings of Excitement, Delight, and _Contentment_ was reflected back at her four times over. Feeling their exhilaration, their sheer joy of seeing the world through her eyes, made her heart want to leap out of her chest for reasons beyond the usual.

From behind her, she felt something change in the air. The twin slipstreams at her sides drew closer, _Mischievousness_ and _Eagerness_ tickling the back of her mind. A flash of _Worry_ hit her from even further back, and Ruby's head dipped up in realization. The pieces came together quickly, her stomach dropping in the process.

 _Oh, you two better not be-_

 _ **Whessssewwwww!**_

Sure enough, streaks of black and white zoomed past her on either side. She caught a split-second glimpse of Weiss' smug grin, before she and Blake were blasting on ahead.

Ruby bit back a groan as she picked up speed. She'd been really hoping they could avoid this…

A yellow flash to her right, and Yang appeared right beside her, keeping pace as they ran. She and Ruby shared a quick look. Luckily, they'd planned for this.

* * *

 **Earlier, RWBY Dorm**

" _You really think they'll lose themselves?"_

 _Yang shrugged as she handed Ruby another carton of eggs from a pile on the counter. "I don't really know, Rubes. But, I lost myself pretty quickly, and I had a pretty good idea what I was in for. Not that much of a stretch to think the same could happen to them."_

 _The younger sister shuffled around the quickly filling refrigerator, trying to find a place for all their newly acquired foodstuffs. "Yeah, but," she questioned, her head still in the fridge as she eyed the organized chaos. "Weiss already used my Semblence once with no problem. And Blake is a lot more level-headed then you. She can probably handle it."_

 _Yang gave her a flat stare. "Okay, one: Thanks a lot, Sis." She rolled her eyes with a smirk as Ruby stuck her tongue out at her. It was all in good fun, Ruby didn't actually mean it. Yang continued, "Two, Weiss used your speed for all of a second, by accident. She didn't get the chance to actually feel it like I have. And let me tell you, Sis, I don't care how level-headed anyone is, moving at your speed is addicting as all hell."_

 _Ruby pouted at her, but couldn't deny the truth of it. When she started running, it did take a lot of concentration to bring herself to stop. Walking back to the bedroom together, Ruby asked, "Okay, but… do we really have to just let them… crash?"_

 _Yang hummed in thought as she looked around the room, trying to find the duffle bag Ruby has borrowed from Weiss the other day. When she found it under one of their shared desks, she responded, "It's how you learned. And it helped me out loads after it happened to me. They crash, they know what it feels like, and they learn what to watch out for next time."_

 _Ruby still grimaced, not liking this one bit. It had been hard enough watching Yang suffer through a speed crash. The thought of both Blake and Weiss ending up the same way…?"_

 _Yang quickly felt Ruby's unease, clapping her hands over her sister's shoulders. "Hey," She said, drawing Ruby's attention to her soft smile. "It ain't like we're throwing them to the Grimm. We'll be right there with them the whole time. They go down, we'll be there to catch them."_

 _Ruby sighed, making a small sound between a groan and a whimper. "Okay," she conceded. Before Yang could pull away, however, Ruby bit her lip. "Yang?"_

 _Yang frowned at Ruby's small voice. "What?"_

" _...do you think they'll like my Semblance?"_

 _Yang blinked. Then she snorted, laughing lightly. She ruffled Ruby's hair while pulling her in for a hug. "You're kidding, right? Sis, trust me. Crash or no, they're gonna have a blast."_

* * *

Ruby and Yang nodded to each other, then shot forward. They easily caught up to their girlfriends, even as the two continued to pick up speed. Weiss and Blake apparently noticed this, because they both started moving even faster. Moving so that each sister was behind their respective partner, they hurried to keep the pace.

 _Yeah, that's it,_ Ruby thought as the group blasted past one of her marked trees. Despite the situation, she couldn't stop excited grin forming on her face. Not only was she running with someone else at high speeds, but she actually had to _try_ to keep up with them. _Go as fast as you guys want. We're right behind you._

Yang was having similar thoughts, though she couldn't help but fall prey to the rush herself. _Just a little bit more and I could probably overtake all of them… wait, no, stop!_ She shook her head hard, fixing a hard stare on Blake's back. _Remember, listen, look, breathe! I have to stay_ behind _Blake, not outrun her._ Her muscles screamed in protest, a feeling not unlike that of her own Semblence as she held herself back. She was capable of doing so much faster, using so much more energy.

Energy that really, _really_ wanted to be let loose.

 _Gah!_ Yang grit her teeth in frustration. _Holding back like this sucks! I need to challenge Ruby to a straight up race later._

For a minute, the sisters just chased the monochrome pair through the forest, listening to their laughs and shrieks as the went. A pattern soon developed, where Weiss would pull just barely ahead, making Blake speed up, and the two continuing like that as they ratcheted up the speed.

They were had just passed what Ruby recognized as the halfway point of her self-made racetrack, when Ruby saw the first signs of trouble. For just a moment, the aura around Weiss shrank and flickered as she leapt over a fallen log. She landed shakily, losing ground, before blasting onwards to regain speed. Now at the front of the pack, Blake let out a triumphant laugh.

"Bye, Weiss!"

Weiss growled under her breath, then cackled. "Don't get too comfortable up there!" She shouted, quickly catching up.

Ruby and Yang shot the same bemused smile to each other. Seeing Blake and Weiss, both usually so quiet and reserved, laughing and screaming as they chased each other through the forest, was new.

Ruby raised a brow at her sister, bobbing her head towards the two. _Is this really what I act like?_

Catching her _Curiosity_ and look of disbelief, Yang guessed what Ruby meant. _Yeah, pretty much,_ she thought back with a smirk.

Ruby blinked at that, staring at the racing pair. Then she shrugged to herself, grinning. _Well, at least I'm in good company now!_

Yang barked out a laugh.

Again, they saw Weiss aura flicker. The heiress grit her teeth, sweat forming on her brow. Her legs were starting to hurt, as were her lungs. She didn't think much of it at first, thinking it was just tied to the ever present pain in her chest. But, as they ran, she noticed something odd. The pain felt familiar, like she'd felt it long before they'd started using Ruby's Semblence. Her lungs were burning, aching. Her head throbbed, growing worse by the second. It was almost like-

Weiss inhaled sharply.

Everything stopped. In an instant, the white haze around her vision vanished, the pain in her chest lifted, and the ground was suddenly rushing at her much, _much_ too fast.

To the others, it was like Weiss had hit a brick wall. The moment the white aura around her vanished, all of Weiss' momentum stopped dead. If Ruby hadn't been right behind her, they all would have shot right by her.

As it was, Ruby dug her heels in a just a second after Weiss stopped. She skidded forward, bending to the side as she threw her arms out. She grabbed Weiss, one arm around her shoulders with the other at her hip, catching her with her nose inches from the ground.

Blake looked back with wild eyes, giggling as she saw what happened. "Sorry, Weiss! Guess I win this-"

Blake felt a sharp pain in her toes. She gasped as the world dipped forward, and suddenly found herself tumbling across the ground. She hit so hard her body skipped across the dirt, her shoulder and side lighting up with pain.

Before she could hit the ground again, strong arms curled around her, twisting her in midair. The world tinted yellow as she hit the ground, the impact softened by the body behind her.

She felt them skid across the ground, only to stop _hard_.

"Gah! Damn, that hurts…" Yang winced as she tried to sit up. The tree she had collided with gave an ominous creak, a split in the bark running halfway up its trunk from the impact. Ignoring the pain, she looked down at the precious cargo she held tightly against her chest. "Blake? You okay?"

Amber eyes blinked blearily up at her, cat ears pinned down hard. Blake didn't know what was happening. The moment they stopped moving, it was as if all her energy ceased to be. Her arms didn't want to move, she could barely move her head, and everything, _everything_ , hurt. "Ya… Y-Yang…?" Her voice came out in a shaky rasp.

"Hey… hey there, Kitty Cat." Yang pulled herself up, speaking in soft, soothing tones as she leaned heavily against the tree. "Feel a little tired?"

"I-I…" Blake tried to respond, to tell Yang just how much of a _monumental_ understatement that was, but it was like her head was filled with cotton balls. Everything was fuzzy, her vision was blurry, and she was so _tired_.

"Shh…" Yang shifted Blake in her arms, resting her partner's head on her shoulder. "It's okay. You're okay. Take a little nap if you need to. I'll be right here when you wake up." She gave Blake a small peck on the cheek. "I promise."

Blake tried to keep her eyes open, but she could feel how much of a losing battle it was. Yang's heartbeat was right next to her ears, beating fast and strong. The slowing rhythm was soothing, and Blake's eyes quickly slipped shut. Maybe sleep was a good idea…

After a few moments, Yang felt Blake relax fully. A soft purr built in the back of Blake's throat, something they'd all come to recognise as her snoring.

Yang allowed herself a brief moment of relief, only to bite back a sharp groan. Without Blake to distract her, all she could think about was her own exhaustion from the run, coupled by the sharp pain in her spine courtesy of an unusually sturdy oak. Leaning her head back against the bark, she reached behind her for the duffle bag, careful not to jostle Blake. She fumbled with the zipper, then rummaged blindly through it until her fingers grasped around the correct shape. She pulled out a chocolate bar, ripping the wrapper off with her teeth as she took a large bit out of it.

" _Yang!_ " Yang looked up at the whisper yell, finding Ruby rushing towards her with Weiss bridal carried in her arms. " _Are you two okay_?"

Yang managed a smirk, swallowing her mouthful of chocolate. "We're good. Blake just passed out, and I'm trying not to follow her." She bobbed her head towards the heiress. "Weiss?"

Ruby frowned in discomfort, kneeling down to set Weiss next to Yang. "Out like a light. Do you think you can stand?"

Raising a brow, Yang looked down at her legs. At this point, they didn't even hurt; everything just felt numb. She managed to lift her right leg a few inches off the ground, only to let it fall back down with a groan. "Doubt it. Everything's all pins and needles."

Ruby whimpered, but nodded all the same. "Okay. I'll call Port and have him help us back to the school." Cracking her scroll open, Ruby started doing just that.

As she took another bite from her chocolate bar, she looked between their sleeping girlfriends. She held back a sigh.

 _Well… it could have gone worse._

* * *

 **? ? ?**

 _The forest was vast, endless. A world of nothing but the largest trees, the trunks so tall that the branches stretched up into pure darkness. She ran, scrambling over gnarled roots and cracked stones, towards the weak cries. She could hear something in the darkness, angry and roaring as it tore through the woods, searching for the same thing she was. To her left, a flash. In the hollow trunk of a dead tree, fearful amber eyes stared at her, their owner hidden from view in the shadows. She hunched low, keening in worry. She took a hesitant step forward, before whirling around as the trees behind her exploded._

 _It was huge, snarling and snorting as it pawed the ground. Raging, molten red eyes glared down at her from behind its bleached-white skull of a head, long horns sharp and deadly. It roared in challenge, it's eyes flicking towards the tree behind her. She growled in response, barring her teeth as her hackles rose. She knew she stood no chance; the beast was five times her size, it's dark body rippling with muscle. It didn't matter, she would fight regardless. Because, she was the only thing between it and-_

 _ **Clang!**_

* * *

 **RWBY Dorm**

Weiss jumped slightly, a metallic bang jolting her from her sleep. She blinked up at the familiar brown bottom of a bed, her vision fuzzy. She could hear someone's voice far off, complaining about a lack of space. Someone else, much closer, chuckled in response.

 _That dream again,_ She thought to herself as the world came into focus. _That's the third time this… Oh, Dust…!_

Weiss squeezed her eyes shut, gritting her teeth in discomfort. It hit her all at once, a deep, endless pain that seemed to come from everywhere, but mostly her chest. She curled in on herself, dimly aware of the soft bed under her. She groaned as she buried her head into the pillow.

 _Wait…_ Weiss paused as she laid her head against something warm and soft. Whatever it was was trembling. _That's not a pillow._

Fighting her pounding head, Weiss pulled back, cracking open an eye. Her vision was still blurry, but she could make out a head of long black hair, pointed cat-ears poking out the hairline. The trembling now made sense, soft purrs emanating from the person's throat.

Weiss smiled briefly, only to grimace as a jolt of pain ran through her, from her brain right down to her tailbone. With a small whine, she ducked her head into Blake's neck, in a vain attempt to ignore the pain. She felt so _tired_.

"Hmm…" Blake's purrs were interrupted by her sudden groaning. Her amber eyes blinked open, only to immediately slam shut. She whimpered, one hand flying to her forehead, only to fall limply to her side as she hissed in pain. "D-Damn…" she cursed. Her voice was barely more than a breath.

"Blake?" Weiss whispered against Blake's neck, unwilling to move. Her cheeks pinked a bit, but she ignored it. Her sense of embarrassment was completely overshadowed by her desire for the pain to just _go away._

Blake blinked weakly. She caught a glimpse of white hair, which was all she needed to know about the person she had accidently drapped her arm over. She gave a shaky smile. "Hey."

Weiss managed a small grin in return. "Hi." She groaned as she felt a sharp twinge in her leg. "You okay?"

Blake hummed lightly, trying to keep her eyes open. "No…" She admitted, using her limited strength to hug Weiss against her. "Everything hurts and my head is killing me."

Weiss nodded against Blake's skin. "Same," she murmured, wrapping her arms around Blake's middle. Her narrowed gaze looked back up at the bed above, Yang's, she guessed, given the lack of haphazardly tied ropes. "How did we get back to our dorm? Last thing I remember was…" She had to pause and think, because her head was a complete mess at the moment. She latched onto the first thing that felt right. "...running."

"Honestly," Blake murmured. "I think a better question is... what is that sweet smell?"

Weiss frowned in confusion, then took a sniff of the air. Sure enough, now that she was paying attention, there was a faint, familiar smell in the air. Weiss knew it from somewhere, but couldn't quite place it…

"Weiss?" Blue eyes cracked back open (had she fallen asleep again?) when a light whisper sounded above them. "Blake? I thought I heard you talking. Are you awake yet?"

With what little strength she had, Weiss managed to turn her head towards the foot of the bed. Yang was looking down at them, changed into her sleep clothes. She was leaning heavily against the banister of their makeshift bunk beds, as her legs dangled limply over the bed's edge. She was blinking rapidly, her eyes slightly unfocused. "Yang?"

"Oh, good," Yang breathed a laugh. "I thought I dozed off again."

Weiss tried to sit up, but was stopped when Yang put a hand on her thigh. "Hey, don't even try it, Snowflake. All you're gonna do is fall out of bed." She smirked slightly. "Trust me, I know."

Weiss pouted, but let herself fall back down. She felt Blake cling tighter to her, and offered a quick ear scratch in return. "What happened?" She asked to Yang.

Yang chuckled. "You crashed."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I assumed as much. How, though?"

"Well, first you both decided to try and leave Rubes and me in the dust." Yang shifted her weight from the banister, laying down the width of the bed so she could stare up at the ceiling. "Then, things went wrong. Weiss, you did the same thing I did on my first run. You got so caught up in the speed and the rush that you forgot to keep breathing. Semblence cut off as soon as you ran out of air."

Weiss winced. _Now_ it was coming back to her.

"Blake, well…" She offered a shrug to the Faunus, smiling in sympathy. "Nothing too spectacular. You tripped on a tree root. Took a high-speed tumble."

Blake groaned. "So _that's_ why my side aches."

Yang chuckled, giving them each a small pat on the leg. "Hey, all in all, you two did great today. We keep practicing, and we'll all be keeping up with Ruby in no time."

A small smile played on Weiss' lips at the thought. The memories were a bit murky, but she remembered enough to know she liked it. Even if it was only for a few minutes, she'd seen the world through Ruby's eyes, felt that rush she was always going on about. Even now, with her whole body feeling like a numb lump of gelatin, she still felt a desire to get back up and _run_.

She was pulled from her musings when Blake asked, "Where is Ruby?"

Weiss blinked. Looking around the room, she realized Blake was right. Their resident speedster was nowhere to be found. And, oddly, that sweet smell had grown stronger in the last couple minutes.

Yang grinned at her. "Rubes is working on getting us back on our feet."

Blake tilted her head in confusion, one of her cat-ears being smooshed against the pillow in the process. "What?"

Rather than respond, Yang instead turned her head forward and shouted to the room at large. "Ruby! Blake and Weiss are awake!"

" _Good_!" Weiss tried to follow the voice that seems to come from nowhere. Her eyes landed at her and Ruby's side note of the room, noticing that the door to their sitting room was open. " _I'll be there in a second! The last batch is almost done!"_

Weiss tilted her head in confusion. _Last batch?_ Then it clicked, the sweet smell wafting through the room making a bit more sense. _Ruby's cooking something?_

Yang smirked as she shouted, "Just try not to drop another tray!"

They all heard Ruby huff. " _It's not my fault they made this kitchen so small!"_

Yang chuckled in response. She tried to pull herself back up to sit, but stopped when she arched her back, hissing lightly.

"Yang?" Blake asked in worry. Despite Yang's earlier protest, she managed to pull herself up a bit, letting her shoulders lean against the headboard.

Yang waved her off, even as she forced herself up to sit cross legged.. "It's nothing. Just… ugh, you two ain't the only ones who're exhausted."

Blake frowned, about to say something, when her cat-ears perked up a bit. She turned towards the other room just as Ruby stepped through. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Ruby, what is… where did you get that many cookies?"

Weiss blinked along with her. In Ruby's arms was a positively giant glass jar, filled to the brim with chocolate chip cookies. Balanced precariously on of the jar was a tray of four empty glasses, along with a full jug of milk.

Ruby grinned towards them, even as she shifted the weight in her arms. "I made them! Fresh from the oven."

Despite every part of her protesting, Weiss pushed herself up on her elbows, eyeing Ruby's oversized load warily. "Do you need help with that, Ruby?"

"I got it!" Ruby assured as she walked across the room. "I'm good!" She set the jar on the bedside table very carefully, her arm blurring as one of the glasses tumbled from its precarious perch. With a satisfied nod, she went about filling the glass. "Anyone hungry?"

Weiss was confused for all of a moment, before the smell of fresh baked cookies hit her up close. A loud growl came from her stomach, much to her pink-faced embarrassment.

Yang snickered. "I'll second that, Weiss." She reached across the bed, towards the jar… only to yelp when Ruby swatted her hand away.

" _You_ already ate half a bowl of cookie dough." Ruby glared, poking a stern finger at Yang's nose.

The blonde merely huffed, crossing her arms. "Like you wouldn't do the same thing…" She muttered under her breath.

Blake giggled as Yang pouted, taking a few cookies when Ruby offered her the jar. "Not that I'm complaining, but what's the occasion, Ruby?"

Ruby just smiled and shrugged as she offered the jar to Weiss. "After you two crashed, me and Yang figured you guys could use a pickmeup." Her brows pinched together as her smile faded. "How are you two feeling?"

Weiss took a bite of her cookie (marveling at the taste. She knew from the girl herself that Ruby could bake, but she didn't think she could bake _this_ good) then groaned at the reminder, fighting the urge to flop back down on the bed. "Completely spent." Blake nodded in agreement, mouth full.

Ruby giggled lightly, handing Blake a full glass of milk. "Yeah… sorry about that. Using my Semblence for as long as you two did burns a lot of energy. Have another cookie. The sugar will help."

Weiss pondered that for a moment. True, she did feel a little less tired after eating a few of the sweet treats. Her eyes suddenly widened, having realized what Ruby's words implied. "Wait… is _that_ why you're always eating sweets? To… _recharge_ your Semblence?"

Ruby bobbed her head side to side, making a noncommittal noise in the back of her throat. "Kinda-sorta. The extra sugar _does_ give my Semblence something to burn off before it starts really tiring me. But… I also just really like sweets," She admitted, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

Weiss rolled her eyes. Of _course_ that would be Ruby's answer. She munched on another cookie as she watch Ruby finally hand the jar over to an overly-sullen Yang, smiling expectantly. The blonde gave her a mock glare, which quickly morphed into her usual half-smile, reaching up to ruffle her sister's hair. Weiss smiled at the sister's actions, but her mirth lessened when she noticed something odd. While her team happily enjoyed the fruits of her labor, splayed out on the bed, Ruby remained standing. It took her a second to realize why: with the way she and Blake were laying, along with Yang taking up the foot of the bed, there wasn't a lot of room left.

Weiss frowned. That wasn't right.

With a grunt, the heiress pulled her legs in and up, leaving a spot just big enough for a person to sit down. Looking a little surprised, Ruby gave Weiss a tender smile, taking her new spot, Yang and Blake scooting over as much as they could to give her more room. With Weiss' legs now draped over her lap, Ruby took the jar when Yang handed it to her.

"We need to figure something out about this pretty soon," The blonde said with a full mouth, voicing what they were all thinking. "These beds are too small for all four of us. One of us is going to fall out of bed pretty soon."

Solemn nods were her answer. If all of them lay on their sides, the bed was _just_ big enough to fit all four of them, but it left little room to move around. As nice as it was being all together, it just wasn't that comfortable. For the last few days, they'd each either slept in their own beds or paired up with their partners. It made sense, but every morning they each work up feeling that something was missing.

Weiss bit her lip. Now that Yang had brought it up, now would be the best time to mention her bit of window shopping earlier in the day… _No, no… I want it to be a surprise. I just have to clear it with Professor Goodwitch first… and maybe let Ruby know._

Instead, Weiss took a look around the room. Her eyes landed on the wall clock, and she blinked in surprise. "Is it really nine o'clock?"

Yang let out a chuckle. "Yeah. You two were out for a while. Anyone have some ideas, or should we just turn in for the night?"

Ruby pouted, taking a sharp bite of her cookie. "I'm not tired."

Blake nodded in agreement. "Same. Just… kind of sore now." She rubbed at her leg, trying to remove the dull numbness she felt.

Weiss thought for a moment. "We could watch a movie," She suggested. Hesitantly, she added. "We haven't really done that since…" She gestured awkwardly to her neck.

They all perked up at that. Yang and Ruby shared a look, then smiled towards Blake. After a moment's thought, Blake nodded back. "That actually sounds really nice."

Ruby gave a cheer. "Great. Oh, we'll need more pillows!" She instantly jumped off the bed, grabbing every pillow she could get her hands on.

"I'll help, Sis." Yang reached up to her own bunk, grabbing her pillows and pulling down her blankets for good measure. "Blake, isn't it your turn to pick a movie this time? Go ahead."

"Just no romances again. Please?" Ruby whined.

As Blake pulled out her scroll to search, Weiss leaned over, whispering loudly.. "And no cheesy action flicks this time?" Blake stifled a laugh, which only grew stronger when Ruby blew a raspberry at them.

As Yang and Ruby shuffled around the room, grabbing pillows and blankets, Weiss lay back down for the moment, staring up at the ceiling. She was once again hit by the insanity of her life, loving and being loved by three very different but wonderful girls. She resigned herself to knowing that their relationship would never stop feeling weird, that normalcy was forever going to be a foreign concept to her. But, as she felt Blake curl up next to her, listening to her purr and Yang and Ruby bicker over which movie _they_ thought they should watch, she couldn't bring herself to care. It felt weird, but it also felt… right.

That wasn't even factoring in their new abilities. She was quickly becoming like Ruby and Yang, her mind racing at all the possibilities that their Affinity could give them. Like Yang said, they just had to keep practicing, not just with speed, but with her glyphs and Yang's strength and… whatever Blake could do ( _I'm asking her about that tomorrow,_ she thought). She just hoped that the next time they crashed wouldn't feel so…

Weiss blinked. Then she groaned loudly.

Blake's purrs lessened as she lifted her head, looking up from her scroll. "What?"

Weiss turned to Blake, her blue eyes full of disbelief and annoyance. "Yang said we 'crashed', right?"

Blake frowned in confusion. "Yes. Why?"

Weiss banged her head against the soft bed, reluctant to respond. _I can't believe this it took me this long_... With a heavy sigh, she opened her eyes, glaring at the ceiling. "Remember what she said in the forest? She was going to give us a _'crash_ course'?"

Blake blinked. Then she rolled her eyes, groaning as let herself fall down, pulling the pillow over her head to muffle her reluctant giggles.

Across the room, Yang couldn't stop laughing.

* * *

As Team RWBY settled in for the night, the rest of the school did the same. All across the campus, windows went dark, and the numerous lampposts throughout the grounds flickered off, only a sparse few remaining to light the main paths. Within the hour, everyone, students and faculty alike, were inside the school, leaving the grounds empty.

Almost.

On the building directly across from Team RWBY's dorm, a lone figure knelt at the edge of the roof. Clad in black and white, the moonlight glinted off the porcelain mask set beside him, replaced in favor of a pair of binoculars. A pair of large, wrinkled bat-ears poked through his hood.

The bat-Faunus scanned the darkened windows, searching for the proper one. This was the third building he'd looked at that night, and he was growing frustrated. His eyes caught a slight flicker in one of the windows, and he zeroed in on it. The blue tinge of a scroll projection lit the room, making it easier to see…

His shoulders tensed instantly. He grit his teeth, growling. "There you are, you little traitor." He put pressed his finger to a small device hanging from his human ear, hearing the slight crackle as it came to life. "I found her, sir."

A deep, low voice answered instantly. " _Is she alone?_ "

"No sir. She's… she's _in bed_ with the Schnee, along with two other girls."

The bat-Faunus flinched as an enraged growl came from his earpiece. The growl cut off abruptly, Taurus taking a calming breath. " _Can you confirm if she's Mated?_ "

"Yes sir. I can feel it from here." He waited, making sure there wouldn't be another outburst, before asking, "What do you want me to do, sir?"

" _...nothing, for now. Return to base. I already have someone coming in from Menagerie who will deal with her. In fact…_ " Taurus chuckled darkly. " _This information might actually motivate her towards acting… swiftly._ "

"Understood, sir. I'm heading back n-"

 _CAW!_

The bat-Faunus flinched as the night's silence was broken by a deep, echoing cry. Looking towards the noise, he found a large black bird peering at him from the lip of the building, just a few feet away. The Faunus rolled his eyes at his own jumpiness.

" _Something wrong?_ "

"No sir. Just some stupid bird. I'll be back at base within the hour." Hearing the connection click off, he reached for his mask-

 _CAW!_

With a groan, the Faunus went to shoo the bird away… only to jump when he found it inches from his face, perched atop his mask.

"Hey!" He whisper-shouted. "Get off of-"

 _ **CAW!**_

The Faunus' words caught in his throat. Somehow… that last one sounded louder than the others. Angrier. He looked warily at the bird as it glared up at him with beady black…

No… beady _red_ eyes.

A chill ran up the bat-Faunus' spine. Something was very, _very_ wrong with this bird.

"You know what?" He jumped to his feet, backing away with his hands up. "Keep it. I'll get a new one." The bird's burning red eyes never left him as he stepped back once, twice, then sprinted towards the opposite side of the roof. With a quick leap over the side, he was gone.

The bird stared after him for a moment, as if making sure he was truly gone. When there was no sign of him coming back, the bird flapped its wings and took flight. It glided the short distance from building to building, perching itself on a tree right in front of Team RWBY's window, hidden from view behind the trunk. There was an odd reverberating sound, and the bird's form blurred, shifted, and grew.

Where the bird once sat, a woman now stood, balancing on the narrow tree branches. She was clad in a loose black jacket and skirt, over which she wore red armor, an oversized scabbard on her hip. Her long black hair was pulled back by the hard curves of an intricate white and red mask, carved in the visage of a Nevermore.

Placing a hand to steady herself, the woman leaned around the tree trunk, red eyes peering through the narrow slits of her mask. She squinted so as to make out the people in the dark room.

The four girls lay curled up against the headboard of Blake's bed, which had been padded up with several pillows. Yang sat sandwiched between Blake and Weiss, her arms up over their shoulders as they leaned into her. Ruby lay between her legs, content to use Yang's chest as a pillow. Every now and then, one of the girls would reach for the cookie jar in Ruby's lap, the younger girl offering it to them without taking her eyes from the movie playing on the wall.

The woman watched them, taking in the peaceful scene. Yang suddenly looked at Blake out the corner of her eye, getting a mischievous look on her face. While the Faunus was distracted by something on screen, Yang leaned over and nibbled on her human ear. Bake let out a startled yelp, making Yang laugh. Blake swatted her on the arm in reprimand, turning back to the film with pink cheeks and a small smile.

The woman blinked at the interaction. She noted how close Yang held both girls, the subtle way that Weiss leg' was draped over both Yang's and Ruby's. Weiss leaned her head on Yang's shoulder, even as her hand found Ruby's, the young leader holding it firmly.

For a moment, the woman just watched them. Beneath the faceplate of her mask, her lips curved slightly, forming a fond, almost proud smile.

A sudden buzzing against her leg shattered all sense of peace she had. She scowled down at her leg, at the scroll in her pocket. She gave the content teens on last look, before leaping down from the tree, leaving them none the wiser.

Scanning the grounds to make sure she was alone, the woman pulled out her scroll. It was an older model, scratched and dented from years of use. She pulled it open, scowling at the unfamiliar number. With a slight growl, she accepted the call.

"How did…" Her words trailed off the instant she saw who was on screen, her eyes widening in disbelief. " _Roman?_ "

* * *

 **A/n: Next chapter: An unexpected Reunion, along with a bit more of the history in this world that I make up by the day.**

 **Also, thank you RT once again for taking my carefully laid plans, and making me throw them right out the window.**

… ***sigh***

 **Word of advice, friends; if you want a really good way to test your quick thinking, try writing an ongoing fanfiction for a series that's still being made. Believe me, it keeps you on your toes.**

 **See you all at the next one!**


	46. Chapter 46: Rekindle

**A/n: Everyone be ready for some weird lore this chapter. We're hitting the AU part of this Fic hard now. Hope ya like it!**

 **Also, small exclaimer for crude language. Roman's got a bit of a potty mouth.**

* * *

 **Chapter 46: Rekindle**

 **Downtown Vale, Roman's Safehouse**

"You want _how_ many guns!?"

Neo watched from the couch as Roman paced around the living room, yelling into his scroll. It was a rare instance where he wasn't in his full suit, decked out solely in his black shirt and slacks. He'd yet to replace his missing bowler hat and ruined jacket, deciding to lay low after the whole Paladin fiasco had ended up with his name plastered all over the city.

Somehow (He'd wager a solid bet on Little Red and her freak parade ratting him out), the Atlassian Military knew that he was the one who'd gone on a rampage down the westbound highway. According to the news, despite throwing cars around like freaking children's toys, bizarrely no one had died, so he didn't have any murder charges headed his way. But given the numerous broken bones, major concussions, one unlucky bastard in a coma, and _two miles worth of wrecked freeway_ , Roman felt that staying the hell away from anything resembling the public was an even better idea than normal.

So, he'd spent the last few days relaxing (i.e., recovering) in his safe house. Aside from Cinder calling to scream at him, he'd had all the time in the world to just kick back, lie down…

...and try to figure out what the _hell_ he was going to do about his newly discovered… conflict of interest.

Not that Neo knew what that _was_. Sticking around just incase a bunch of cops busted through the door, she had spent the better part of three days binge watching TV, listening to Roman muttering as he putted around the apartment, eyes always glued to his scroll. Anytime she shot him a questioning look, he'd just wave her off, saying it was _'personal_.' Whatever that meant.

At least, that's what he _had_ been doing. Then Taurus called out of the blue, and had managed to make Roman both pissed off and freaked out in a nanosecond.

"What do you even _need_ that many guns for, we have hundreds of 'em! ...what do you mean you can't use them, we have a warehouse full of 'em!"

Neo strained her ears, trying to hear what Taurus was saying. To her annoyance, the White Fang leader was keeping his tone calm and quiet.

Neo cocked her head when Roman suddenly laughed lowly, grinning smugly. "Oh… Matchstick finally pulled your leash, didn't she?"

Once again, Neo had to question Roman's sanity. Cinder and Taurus were two of the most dangerous people she'd ever met, and she was convinced that neither of them were all there. Yet, time and time again, Roman antagonized the both of them at every chance he got. He either had a death wish, or he was just as crazy as they were.

Whatever Taurus said in response, despite being just as quiet as before, it quickly wiped way Roman's mirth, replacing it with uncomfortable worry. He covered his face with his hand, groaning. "Look, Bully Boy, you can't just spring this on me on such short notice. I'm good, but I'm not a miracle worker."

Taurus said something else, making Roman throw his hands up in exasperation. "It doesn't _matter_ how much money you can pay me, I can't just pull eighty machine guns out of my ass!" He paused, listening to Taurus. His face slackened, looking rather stunned. "That's a lot of money." He looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook his head violently. "No! No, I… ugh… look, I'll get back to you, alright? ...yeah, next week, I get it, just… whatever, bye!"

Roman clicked his scroll off, then just stared at it for a moment. Letting out a frustrated growl, he flopped down on the sagging couch, leaning his head back as he threw an arm over his eyes.

Neo eyed him curiously. What he'd said made no sense. She knew off the top of her head at least three places she could steal twice that amount of guns. Heck, for one of them, Roman wouldn't even need her help, he could do it himself. Why make it sound like it was so hard to do?

" _...of course that's what he wants, what else could it be but…_ "

Neo raised a brow. Roman was grumbling under his breath again, like he always did when he was agitated. Trying not to be too obvious, she tried to listen in.

" _...gotta be going after Kitty-Cat… but then, Little Red and Sunshine will show up, and Taurus will go after them… but, Matchstick is already gunning for them, so they're already screwed…_ _aw, Dust-dammit,_ WHAT THE HELL DO I DO!?"

Neo jumped as Roman suddenly slamed his fist down on the armrest of the couch. He breathed heavily through his nose, glaring up at the ceiling so hard, Neo was surprised it didn't burst into flames.

Hesitantly, she leaned over and poked him in the shoulder. He looked over at her, his green eyes smouldering in anger. She gave him her best 'what-the-heck?' expression.

He held her stare, then let out a deep sigh, like he was exhausted. "Trust me, Neo, it's _beyond_ complicated. But the short and vague of it?" He waited for her to roll her eyes, glaring 'go-on!'. He turned back towards the ceiling. "I think I'm growing back the one thing I _really_ do not need right now." Roman scoffed to himself, shaking his head slightly in disbelief. "A conscience."

Neo's eyes widened, incredulous. It was one of the few moments she wished she could talk, wanting to get in his face and say, "After all the things I _know_ you've done, _now_ you grow a conscience? Over what!?"

Roman either didn't see or didn't care about any of this, just staring at the ceiling. Then, with a disgusted groan, he pushed himself off the couch. He walked over to the window, staring out at the Vale skyline. Shifting his eyes a bit, he could just see the edge of Beacon Academy.

Neo watched him from the couch. Then, at the edge of her hearing, she could just hear him mutter,

" _...dammit, Sis…_ "

Confused (She'd heard Roman use a lot of nicknames, but never that one), Neo frowned as he turned around and lifted his scroll back up. Leaning against the windowsill, he flipped his thumb across its surface a few times. Then he just stared at it intently, his brow furrowed in apprehension. With a huff, he scowled up at the ceiling, as if the heavens themselves had offended him.

" _I can't believe I'm doing this_ … Neo."

Unprepared, Neo flinched as Roman's green eyes bored into her. 'What?', she asked with a tilt of her head.

Roman pointed at her like he was giving an order. "Don't distract me during this."

Neo glowered at him. He did _not_ just say that to her.

Again, Roman either didn't notice or didn't care. He looked back down at his scroll like it was an active bomb. With a heavy sigh, he tapped the screen, then pulled it apart, widening it for video.

Through the translucent blue screen, Neo could see the cursor spinning, trying to connect Roman's mystery call. She narrowed her eyes at it. There was something going on here besides the usual business, and she was getting sick of Roman keeping her in the dark. He told her not to 'distract' him, but didn't say anything about listening in.

After ten seconds passed, Roman groaned, glaring at the screen. "The hell did I expect?" He grumbled to himself angrily. "Like she'd really keep the same number after seven-"

 _DING!_

At the sudden tone, Roman stared dumbly as the words 'CONNECTION ESTABLISHED' blinked across the screen.

"Holy shit…" He breathed.

The blank screen blinked to life, and Neo could see… she wasn't quite sure what, to be honest. Through the reversed, blue-tinted view she had, she thought she could see someone in a mask. She thought it was a White Fang member at first, but she didn't recognize the design.

" _How did-_ " A rough, female voice came across the screen, sounding seven different kinds of angry. The woman cut herself off suddenly, Neo thinking she could just barely see her red eyes widen through the mask's eye-slits. Her voice lowered to a stunned whisper. " _Roman?_ "

Roman, who had been staring incredulously at the screen after it had opened, suddenly broke out into the widest, most honest smile Neo had ever seen from him. It disappeared in an instant, replaced by his normal smarmy grin, but Neo knew what she'd seen. Not that it made any sense. "Yes, I'm sorry. I'm trying to reach tall, dark, and ill-tempered. Could you please direct me?"

This was apparently the wrong thing to say. Whatever shock Neo could see through the woman's mask vanished in an instant. Her red eyes narrowed, a sharp breath of disbelief sounding across the connection. " _Seven years, and that's the first thing you say?_ "

Roman shrugged, not caring about her anger in the slightest. "Oh, I can think of a few other things, but that seemed the least likely to make you kill me."

The woman scoffed. " _What do you want, Roman?_ "

Roman adopted an obviously fake look of confusion. "What, I'm not allowed to call a friend every now and then?"

A flat look was her response.

Roman held her stare for a moment before, to Neo's surprise, his smirk fell away. He rolled his eyes and huffed. "Look, I need a few things clarified and… _maybe_ I need some advice." He looked slightly ill at the end of his sentence, like the words had left a bad taste in his mouth.

The woman gave a startled, disbelieving laugh, which she cut off almost instantly. "You _need help? From me? Now?_ "

Roman scowled at her, growling. "Well, considering the subject matter, my only other options were Musclehead and Bird Brain. Considering how well things went _last_ time I talked to them, you seemed like my best option."

The woman paused, eyes suddenly wary. " _What are you talking about?_ "

His scowl faded in favor of an annoyed glower. "I'm talking about the mini Summer and blonde _you_ I keep running into."

Red eyes widened. The woman quickly turned away from the screen, looking up and behind herself. " _You've seen Yang and Ruby?"_ She hissed.

Roman couldn't help but scoff. " _Seen_ ," He muttered humorously. "Yeah, you could say I've _'seen'_ them." Unless someone cloned you both. Or they're robots." His eyes suddenly lit up with almost manic hope. "Are they robots? Please tell me they're robots. That would make everything _so_ much easier."

The woman just stared for a moment. Neo couldn't tell what she was thinking behind that mask, but she seemed agitated. Not that unusual for someone talking with Roman, but it didn't seem to stem from anger or annoyance so much as worry.

Suddenly the woman's eyes narrowed. " _Are you alone?"_ She asked forcefully.

Roman blinked. He glanced up from the screen, green eyes meeting Neo's mismatched pink and brown. "Nooo…" Roman said slowly, looking back down at his scroll. "There's one person with me."

Red eyes narrowed further. " _How trustworthy are they?_ "

Roman gave Neo another look. He moved his shoulders side to side, as if weighing his options. "Honestly?" With a shrug and a sigh, he turned away from Neo, pointedly avoiding her eyes. "At this point, she's the only person I trust right now."

Neo's brow shot high, her spine straightening in surprise. This was news to her. As far as she knew, Roman didn't trust anyone, not even the guys who worked for him.

The woman didn't seem convinced, her voice lowering. " _But can_ I _trust her?_ "

"What?" Roman asked with a smug grin. "You don't believe me?"

" _No_ ," came the blunt answer.

Roman pouted at the screen, then smirked. He looked back towards Neo and winked. When he turned back to his scroll, Roman's smile was almost _too_ wide. "Cross my heart, I swear she won't say a word."

Neo gave him her darkest 'you-did- _not_ -just-say-that' look.

"... _fine_ ," The woman said after a moment, apparently accepting Roman's word. ( _She must not know him that well then,_ Neo thought idly.) _"I'll be there in a second_."

Roman blinked. "Wait, what?" His eyes bugged out when his scroll went dark, showing only a blank screen, save the words 'CONNECTION LOST' flashing in the corner. "Rea?" He questioned uselessly.

Neo tilted her head at him, just as confused. The mystery woman made it sound like she was coming to them. But, how? Roman didn't tell her where they were.

Roman squinted at the screen. "The hell's she mean she'll be here in…" His face suddenly went slack in realization, paling. "Oh, is she really gonna-Gah!"

 _ **Wa-wumpwumpwump…**_

Roman fell back in fright as what looked like an angry red storm cloud formed in front of him.

Every hair on Neo's head stood up as her instincts told her to move. What felt like an electric charge passed through the room, and the cloud, which had now spread out and turned flat, continued to make the most unreal noise she'd ever heard. In a flash, she'd shot to her feet, parasol in a death grip as she backpedaled away from hellmouth in front of her.

As easy as walking through a door, the same woman Roman had been talking to stepped out of the cloud. Once she was out, the cloud-portal-whatever snapped closed with an audible crack.

The woman's eyes scanned the room, looking for anything out of the ordinary. To the dismay of Neo's pounding heart, red eyes locked onto her almost instantly. A chill ran up her spine as the woman rested her hand over the gigantic scabbard on her hip.

One of the things Neo prided herself on, and something Roman was always eager to exploit, was her ability to size up an opponent. No matter the situation, all it took was a quick look over someone for her to know how a fight with them would go. Whether it would be no effort, a hard fought victory, or if she'd need to regroup.

As this woman in black and red armor stared her down, red eyes seeming to burn right through to her very soul, Neo's senses all said the same thing: _run_. She wanted to shatter and flee, as far as she could go, because fighting this woman would be her worst, _last_ mistake.

"Ugh…"

The one-sided staredown was broken, mercifully, by Roman's groan as he pushed himself to his feet. The woman's gaze slowly shifted towards him, and Neo breathed a silent gasp of relief. Taking the distraction, she bolted into the kitchenette, peeking over the counter as Roman turned.

"Jeez…" He muttered as he dusted off his pants. "I forgot just how creepy those things were." He looked up, green eyes meeting red for the first time since the woman's arrival. To Neo's dismay, he smirked. "Raven," He greeted, his tone much to relaxed for Neo's liking. "Long time, no see."

"Roman." The newly dubbed Raven looked the conman up and down, eyes trailing over his bandaged arm and scabbed forehead. The corners of her eyes crinkled in what Neo guessed was a grin. "You look like crap."

Roman chuckled, much to Neo's surprise. " Yeah, well… that tends to happen when a mech starts blowing up around you."

Raven nodded, a smirk in her voice. " I heard about that. Surprised me a bit, to be honest. Last I heard, you liked to stay out of sight."

Roman's smirk changed to a scowl. "Didn't exactly plan on getting my face plastered on the evening news.". Then he gave her a confused look. " Surprised you didn't already hunt me down once you heard."

Raven tilted her head slightly. "Why would I do that? You made it fairly clear last time you didn't want our help anymore."

Roman's brow shot up, confusion evident. He opened his mouth, only to immediately snap it shut. His eyes trailed up to the ceiling, both nervous and contemplative as he slowly paced back and forth across the tiny living room. "Okay, so you don't know _everything_ , apparently. That, um… huh. Not sure if that complicates things or not."

" _Roman_ …" Raven said in a warning tone. "Start making sense. Now."

With a groan, Roman threw up his hands in mock defense. "Fine, just… I'm trying to figure out how to phrase this without getting stabbed." He suddenly grimaced in annoyance as he met Raven's eyes. "Could… could you lose the mask already? I see enough of those damn things as is without _you_ hiding behind one."

Raven glared for a moment, before rolling her eyes. Grasping the bottom of her faceplate, she pulled the mask off in a single fluid motion, her long locks falling unrestrained around her face.

Without meaning to, Neo sucked in a sharp, silent breath. Swap out the black hair for blonde, and this Raven woman would be the spitting image of the girl Roman had dubbed 'Sunshine.' Though, looking hard enough, she noticed that the woman's face was slightly narrower than the blonde teen, her chin a tad sharper. Still, the resemblance was uncanny.

Running a hand through her unkempt mane, Raven fixed Roman with an annoyed stare. "Better?"

Roman grinned. "Being able to see all your dark beauty again? Much."

"Roman… Talk. _Now_."

A groan passed Roman's lips. "Ugh. Fine. Just, uh… promise me something?"

Raven raised a suspicious brow. "What?"

Neo watched as Roman looked around awkwardly. "Uh… don't kill me?"

Raven's eyes darkened dangerously. "Roman, I'm losing my patience."

"...please?"

She glared at him hard, then relented reluctantly. "Fine. I promise."

After the tense moment, Roman sighed. "Look, how much, exactly, do you know about my little… _mishap_ Saturday night?"

Frowning, Raven crossed her arms. "Just what the news has been saying. That you stole an Atlassian warmech and went on rampage down the freeway. That a bunch of local hunters stopped you, but you got away." Her flat stare became a glare once again. "That you're lucky no one _died_ , otherwise they wouldn't have bothered asking for your arrest and gone straight to 'shoot on sight'."

Roman swallowed nervously. _Okay, didn't really think about that last one_. "Did they give any specifics about the Hunters I fought?"

Raven's eyes narrowed. "No…"

Roman chuckled with little humor. "Well, the thing is, those Hunters wern't really Hunters, exactly. They, uh…" He shrank slightly when he saw Raven tilt her head. "They were actually a bunch of Beacon freshmen?"

Raven looked confused for all of a moment, before her eyes widened in realization. Her arms dropped to her sides. When her eyes narrowed, a red light seemed to build in them.

A bead of sweat trickled down Roman's forehead. "Wanna, heh… w-wanna guess which ones they were?"

Neo's instincts went haywire as she watched Raven's eyes go from glowing to burning. Her shoulders tensed, her hands clenched into fists. With a look that screamed murder, she took a step forward.

Roman backpedaled instantly, throwing up his hands in panic. "Rea, wait!" Raven paid no heed to his words, rapidly closing on him with every step. Roman kept backing up until his back hit the wall. "C'mon, you promised- _gah_!"

With terrifying speed, Raven's arm shot out, her fist connecting with Roman's mouth so hard his head whiplashed off the wall. Before he could hold his aching jaw, she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down the three inch height difference. Nose to nose with him, she _snarled_. " _What did you do, you idiot?!"_

"Nothing!" He shouted with panicked green eyes. Realizing just how stupid _that_ sounded, he instantly relented. "Okay, something, but… Look, all I wanted was to make sure that Little Red and Sunshine really were who I thought they were. Things… just got a little out of hand!"

Raven responded through clenched teeth. "You attacked them with a twenty foot warmachine."

Roman swallowed. "Okay, a lot out of hand. I was getting desperate! ...could you let me up, please? You're killing my spine!"

Raven held him down, giving him the fullest view of her blazing eyes. With a growl, she shoved him away, taking a step back. "You have one minute before I make you regret calling me. Explain, _now_."

Roman rubbed his sore jaw. "Kinda do already," He muttered under his breath. When the glow of Raven's eyes seemed to grow deeper, he quickly started to explain. "Look, I'll give you the short version. 'Bout a year ago, this chick shows up with a job for me. Real easy stuff, just stealing Dust and guns. Except, she offered me _stupid_ money to do it, so long as I don't ask no questions." At this point, Roman started pacing back and forth around the room, not even looking at Raven as he spouted his tale. "I do a good job, don't go sticking my nose where it ain't supposed to go, she offered me _more_ jobs. This goes on for a few months, I get them more stuff, I get the best paydays of my life. Everyone's happy, life is good.

"Then…" He chuckled with a hint of mania. "Then one day, me and the boys go to hit this little mom-and-pop store. Things are going great, when suddenly one of my guys goes flying across the store like he was shot out of a cannon. I turn around, and right there in the middle of the store is the second-coming of Summer, silver eyes and all, slicing and dicing my gang with a freaking _scythe_ bigger than she is." He barked out a laugh, throwing his arms out wide in mock amazement, fueled on by Raven's look of disbelief as her eyes followed him around the room. "And ever since that day, every _freaking_ time I turn around, she and her little freak parade have been right there, screwing everything up."

Raven's eyes narrowed, her confusion outweighing her anger. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Roman stopped pacing, his voice rising as his words slowly turned to ranting. "She just keeps showing up! I try to knock over this little mom-and-pop store, suddenly she'd there kicking my guys asses. I try to move some stuff at the docks, she shows up and kicks _more_ of my guys asses! I go to a freaking recruitment rally for the _White Fang_ , her Kitty Cat girlfriend is there, and sure enough, five minutes later, she shows up to kick _my_ ass, this time with her big sister in tow."

Raven hummed to herself, taking in the information. How she felt about it, Neo didn't know. The woman's face never seemed to change from 'mild interest' aside from a slight smirk. "I'll admit, it's odd that you keep crossing paths. But what did you mean by knowing 'if they were who you thought they were."

Roman shrugged. "It just seemed way too weird. All these years and suddenly Summer's kid shows up, _just_ to start screwing with my life? It wouldn't be the first time someone I pissed off tried to mess with me. I figured she was either a lookalike or a robot." At Raven's unimpressed brow, Roman got defensive. "Hey, I know there's at least one running around that looks human! My employer's going nuts trying to track down who it is."

At that, Raven frowned. "Who exactly are you working for?"

Roman rolled his eyes. "A bunch of ill tempered crazy people with too much money and delusions of grandeur." Waving the subject off, he continued. "Look, point is, I needed to know if Red and Sunshine were the real deal. The Paladin might have been a bit overkill, but it worked."

"How?"

Roman grinned like he was a genius. "The eyes. Made them both mad enough at me to give an honest angry look." He chuckled while looking up, as if reminiscing on a happy memory. "Blazing red and deep silver, giving me a death glare at the same time. Only two other people who could pull that off."

After taking a moment to digest Roman's story, Raven shook her head with a slight grin. "Still, you let things reach that point before calling one of us? Tai or Qrow could have cleared everything up with a scroll call."

Roman snorted. "Yeah, _that_ would have gone well. They probably would have told me right after Musclehead beat me to a bloody pulp and Bird Brain stabbed me a couple dozen times. They don't exactly like me, Rea."

Raven just shook her head, deciding not to push the issue. "So, you convinced they're real yet, or do you need me to confirm it?"

"No, but maybe you can clear something up for me," He crossed his arms, now frowning. "Maybe my math's off, but the kid's only fifteen, right?"

Frowning, Raven nodded. "Yes,"

Roman threw his arm out in exasperation, gesturing towards Beacon's spires shining off in the distance. "Then what the heck is she doing here!?"

Raven looked out the window, following his hand. After a moment, she smirked slightly. "Apparently, she got early admittance by impressing Ozpin."

Roman scoffed in disbelief. "By two years? The heck did she do?"

"Single-handedly stopped an armed robbery."

Roman blinked. Rapidly. His shoulders fell, and his face went slack. "Please tell me you're joking."

Raven's widening smirk was all the answer he needed.

Roman facepalmed with an audible _smack!_ "You have got to be kidding… no, you know what?" He threw up his hands, grinning like a madman. "That… That makes perfect sense. _Of course_ that's how she got in. _Of course_ that's how she started showing up all the time." He laughed, and Neo couldn't tell if it was sarcastic or if he somehow genuinely found the situation funny. "I did this to myself!"

Raven apparently though it was the latter, sporting the largest grin she'd gotten since entering the room. "Sounds like it."

Roman chuckled to himself, before taking a deep breath. "Well, thanks, I guess. The age thing was my big hang up for why she was here. But…" The humor on Roman's face faded, leaving him with a troubled frown. "Now that I know she and Sunshine are the real deal, that leaves us with one hell of a problem."

Raven sighed. "I didn't think you called me just to reminisce."

Roman grimaced. "'Fraid not. It's about Little Red and Sunshine. I think they're about to have all hell rain down on them."

Raven's lips curved down in a slight frown, her eyes turning sharper. "Why?"

"Remember the ill-tempered employers I work for? Well, I ain't the only person who works for them. The other one is Adam Taurus."

For the first time, Raven's looked genuinely shocked. "You work with that Psychopath?"

"Oh, so you've met him," Roman commented with a smirk. "Technically, yeah, though I try to stay out of his way as much as I can. The guy is _not_ all there… which is kinda the problem. You know that Cat Faunus on Little Red's team?"

Raven nodded, unsure about the change of subject. "Yes…?"

"Well, after Red and Sunshine blew up my Paladin, which, by the way, I stole for the White Fang originally, Taurus called me to ask what the hell. After I mentioned Kitty Cat, he completely flipped his lid. I thought that seemed a little extreme, even for him, so I started poking around. Asking some White Fang members with loose lips if they knew anything."

"I assume they did?"

Roman chuckled darkly. "Oh, big time. Turns out, little miss Blake Belladonna? She's Taurus' ex-Mate."

Raven's face paled. "Oh… no…" she groaned, putting a hand to her face.

"Oh, yes," Roman confirmed, his smile just shy of a grimace. "Little side-note; Since I had no idea what 'ex-Mate' really meant, I looked it up. Which lead me to another discovery." He cocked a brow at Raven, some humor bleeding into his grin. "The Faunus princess _and_ the Schnee heiress? Girls can't do nothing small, can they?"

Raven didn't answer, just giving another groan. She slowly lifted her head, face tight with resignation. "Any idea what he's going to do?"

Roman shook his head, resuming his pacing. "Vaguely. Right before I called you, he called me asking for me to find him no less than eighty machine guns by next week. He's planning something real bad for his ex, and if Red and Sunshine are as close to her as I think they are…"

"They're going to be right there in the thick of it," Raven finished, looking both troubled and annoyed.

Roman nodded, breathing out a chuckle. "Yep. So… you need to get them out of here."

Raven blinked in surprise, her shoulders tensing up. "What?"

"Get them the hell out of Vale." Roman started gesturing as he spoke, completely missing the blindsighted look on Raven's face as she watched him move. "Send them back to Patch for a couple weeks. Or, hell, hide them with your band of not-so-merry men."

After a moment of stunned silence, Raven looked off to the side, as if in contemplation. "Roman..." She tried to say, with a look Neo could only describe as apprehensive.

Roman didn't notice, talking more to himself then Raven as he continued pacing. "Look, Taurus is _beyond_ pissed. Get the girls, have them take their little girlfriends, and make them disappear for a while."

"Roman."

"Our employer's probably ticked about this already. I rat him out to her, she'll yank his leash _hard_ , and then maybe-"

" _Roman!"_

The conman flinched at Raven's sudden yell. "What?" He whirled around, being faced with Raven's blank face.

"I… can't do that."

Roman cocked his head, frowning in confusion. "Why not? Just call them and tell'em..." Roman trailed off, suddenly looking thoughtful As he stared at Raven's tight expresion.. His face slowly slackened when he realized Raven was, refusing to meet his eyes. "No way…" He shook his head lightly, eyes narrowing in denial. "They _still_ don't know?"

Raven turned back with a slight scowl, now looking Roman dead on. "Why are you so surprised? They didn't recognize _you_."

Roman stared at Raven with something akin shock. "Are you…?"

From behind her mediocre cover, Neo watched with wide eyes. Up until now, the exchange between Roman and his apparent friend made little to no sense to her. He'd been trying to kill those girls from Beacon for almost a month, and now he was trying to protect them? Why? And who was this woman, who Neo had a sneaking suspicion could end her before she even realized it? What was her connection to those girls? Better yet, what was her connection to Roman?

All these thoughts came to a screeching halt when Neo saw Roman's face _change._ Ice filled her veins.

She'd seen a lot of Roman's sides over the few years she'd known him. She'd seen him frustrated, happy, annoyed, disappointed; she _thought_ she had seen him angry. When she saw his face now, though, she realized she was wrong.

Roman was _livid_.

"Are you kidding me!?" He shouted, loudly enough that Neo worried about other people in the building hearing him. Roman apparently didn't care, actually taking a step forward so he could tower over Raven. "I… I am a criminal master mind wanted in nearly every Kingdom. I _expect_ you to leave me out. You… I…" He spluttered, his words running together in a raging jumble. He took a deep breath, but it just seemed to fuel the flames. "Thirteen years! The three of you couldn't grow a pair between you in thirteen years!?"

"It's not that simple-"

"It's really fucking simple!" Roman cut off Raven's protests before she could even start. "Do… do they know anything?"

Raven held his desperate glare evenly, no emotion on her face. "Yang knows that I'm her birth mother."

Roman waited for her to go on. When she didn't, he waved his hand with a bewildered look on his face. " _And?_ "

Raven gave no answer, save her eyes flicking downward.

Roman's form slumped in disbelief. "So… they know nothing." He then scoffed with little humor. "Except that there's another mother mixed in with all the crap they were told. Yeah, I'm sure that _totally_ didn't confuse the hell out of them."

Raven's face suddenly darkened, her lips setting into a firm scowl. "Why do you even care, Roman? You left before all of this."

Roman gave a sharp bark of a laugh. "I _left_ because I didn't want any part of this convoluted mess. But I still thought, _at some point_ , you all at would least think to… but no. No, no, you… you three really just stuck to this, didn't you?" He scoffed, his smile bitter and scornful. " _Wow_. You three really were lost when Summer disappeared, weren't you?"

Neo blinked. That name again. Who was Summer?

Now it was Raven's turn to step forward, nose to nose with the conman as her eyes blazed. "That is not fair, Roman." Her voice came out as an angry hiss.

Roman was too angry to be afraid. "What do I care? It's true! You all heaped everything on her, your great fearless leader, and the moment she was gone, you all fell apart."

"How can you judge us?" Raven fired back, going on the defensive. "It's not like you did any better. Losing Summer hurt all of us, but we tried to make the best decisions we could. You just cussed us out and left."

Roman grit his teeth, snarling. "Well, I'm sure it was damn easy for you to keep your stupid plan going without her! It's not like you missed much."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" They were right in each other's faces now, screaming. "Why would you think losing her would be _easy_ on any us!?"

"Because you all just lost a teammate. _I lost my sister!_ "

Neo's mouth fell open.

Raven's eye blazed, her whole body coiled like a spring. She looked like any second she was going to launch herself across the room to beat Roman senseless, or worse. But just as Neo was about to make the suicidal move to try to stop her… it ended. The burning glow faded from her eyes, her shoulders relaxing as she dipped her head down, arms falling limply to her sides. All traces of aggression bled out of her in seconds, replaced with a look of… Neo wasn't sure what. Sadness? Bitterness? Regret? Neo was so baffled by the sudden change, she almost missed it when Raven muttered quietly.

"...I lost more than that, Roman."

Roman kept up his angry glare for a minute. But without Raven's fury to feed off of, it didn't last long. His face fell, not sad exactly, but... resigned. With a huff, he turned away from Raven, falling back onto the couch. He placed his elbows on his knees, burying his head in his hands with a groan.

Raven watched him for a moment, looking unsure of what to do next. She looked towards the door, then the window, and Neo wondered she was going to just leave. Then she slowly panned back towards Roman. With a small sigh, she walked over and sat on the opposite end of the couch, her Nevermore mask sitting in her lap.

As the two sat in awkward, tense silence, Neo's mind raced. Roman had a sister? How did she not know this? Well, the answer was pretty obvious: she wasn't around anymore. He'd said she'd 'disappeared', but Roman had eyes and ears all over Remnant. The only way he didn't know where she was was if she was purposely hiding from him… or she was dead.

Neo felt a twinge of pity for Roman at the thought, frowning lightly.

Second's ticked by as the two… were they even friends? Neo had no idea… continued to ignore each other. Raven stared down at her mask, fingertips trailing over the intricate designs in random patterns, while Roman just stared down at nothing. He'd let one of his arms fall limp, propping his head up on the other. Neo felt another twinge. They both just looked so… drained. Defeated.

"... we _are_ going to tell them."

Roman looked over at Raven's quiet admission, only able to express mild interest in the form of a raised eyebrow.

Raven didn't look at him, instead staring at her mask as if it was the focus of her thoughts. "After Ruby got admitted early, Tai and Qrow suggested it was as good a time as any. We're going to tell them after Ruby turns sixteen."

Roman gave her a long look, the turned away with a scoff. "In other words, they strong armed you into telling. You still don't want to."

Raven frowned at his dismissal. " There's no reason too. They're all grown up." She hesitated, her voice growing a touch softer. "They don't need a mother anymore."

"Bullshit." Roman's curse held no anger or scorn, just the bluntness of cold hard fact. "You just know their going to be pissed when they find out they've been lied to all this time." He smirked when she scowled slightly. A chuckle passed his lips. "Mistral's badass bandit Queen, scared of a couple teenagers. It'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic."

Raven slowly turned to face him, her expression blank save for her narrowed eyes. "... I could warp you to Tai's front room right now."

Roman held her stare for a moment. Then his eyes hardened a bit, his smirk growing. "...you know what? Go for it. Knowing him and Qrow, this might be the one time the three of us are on the same page."

Raven held his gaze, before looking off with a grunt. Roman chuckled at her, then leaned back on the couch, putting his arms behind his head. "Well, even if I believed you, that won't work either. If Taurus gets his way, Little Red, Sunshine, and both their little bed buddies won't make it to the end of next week, let alone Red's sweet sixteenth."

Raven stared down at her mask, arms crossed. She then sighed, looking to Roman reluctantly. "So what do you suggest?"

Roman scoffed. "Hey, you're the Brainy Bird, not me. I _had_ a plan, but you just blew it all to hell with your longass game of 'missing mom'. It's your turn."

A growl escaped Raven's lips. "Do you at least know where Taurus is?"

"No," Roman admitted with a shrug. "But I know how to find out. Bully Boy wants me to scrounge up eighty guns before next week Saturday. If I'm lucky, either he'll be there for the drop off himself, or his right hand man will be."

Raven hummed. "What will you do if it is him?"

Roman grinned carelessly. "Shoot him in the back of the head and run?"

Raven scoffed, even as her lips twitched. "Even you're not that stupid."

The grin widened. "You can't prove that."

An actual laugh passed Raven's lips, soft and near-soundless, easily mistakable for a sharp exhale. She looked thoughtful for a moment, asking, "You do know that if Taurus goes down, you'll probably lose whatever deal you have worked out with your 'employer?'"

Roman hummed. "Maybe. But even if I do…" He smirked at her. "I've given a lot of expensive goodies to Taurus and his goons. If he suddenly went 'poof!', the White Fang will lose their shit. Meaning, all that Dust, the guns, the money, the _toys_ … all just sitting there while they all freak out, nobody paying attention? I'll make five times the money I was paid to steal it by selling it all over again."

Raven raised a brow. "... that you're only reason?"

"... the only one I'll admit to." If possible, Roman's grin turned smarmier. "Besides, things are getting a little… heated between the three of us. Might be better for my health if I end this with a bang and disappear."

Raven smirked in response. "Okay. You find out where Taurus is, maybe we can stop this before it begins." Her eyes then darted up. "What about your friend over there? Will she keep quiet about this?"

Roman followed her gaze. Neo, who was still crouched behind the counter, flinched away at the unwanted attention, mismatched eyes darting from him to Raven with nervous energy. Roman gave a wide grin. "Neo? I told you. She won't say a word."

Neo's eyes widened, screaming ' _are-you-kidding-me!?_ '. Raven noticed this, saying to Roman, "I'd feel better hearing it from her."

Neo squirmed as Raven looked to her expectantly. Her fight-or-flight response was shouting at her, and all she could do was give Roman her darkest death glare. Raven, in turn, sent Roman a questioning look.

Roman looked between them, acting confused. Then he let out a long 'Ohhhh,' his mock-understanding ruined by his giant grin. "Did I forget to mention she's mute?"

Raven's eyes shot wide, only to narrow sharply. Her response matched what Neo was thinking perfectly.

She wacked him upside the head.

Hard.

* * *

 **A/n: Confused? Good.**

 **Obviously, the Raven and Roman from my story are WAY different from their canon counterparts, for good reason. When I started this story, Roman had just become Grimm chow, and Raven had barely been seen in the show. If they seem OOC, Raven in particular, that's why. I want to keep them somewhat accurate to their Canon personalities, but both of them have lived altered lives from their Canon versions, so I have to reflect that.**

 **Honestly, though? As hard as this was to write, it was still really fun having these two characters bounce off each other, especially since they never interacted in the show proper.**

 **Poor Neo. I need to be nicer to her at some point.**

 **Next chapter, some bonding between elder siblings, some insight on Yang's mindset, and Ruby freaks everyone out by being accidentally awesome.**

.


	47. Chapter 47: A Sunny Winter's Day

**A/n: Quick warning, this one gets a little exposition-y, but I have a reason for it.**

* * *

 **Chapter 47: A Sunny Winter's Day**

 **Wednesday** **. Vale Docks, Atlassian Warehouse**

"You're doing just fine, Ruby. Now focus on your other hand."

Ruby swallowed nervously. She peered down through her red glyph, the only thing between her and the cement floor thirty feet below. Winter looked up at her expectantly. With a small nod, Ruby lifted her arm, crossing her fingers as she kept her other hand steady. A second glyph formed a few feet away, slightly smaller. Moving fast, Ruby leapt the short distance, her first glyph fading away the second her foot left it. "Like that?" She called down, trying to stay steady as she came to a stop.

As Ruby wobbled precariously on her new platform, Winter nodded in approval. "Much better. Keep practicing. Remember: keep your fingers bent at the same angle, even when running."

"Yes, ma'am," Ruby responded, already forming her next glyph.

After another moments watch, Winter moved away from the young leader, leaving her to practice on her own. She looked to the warehouse as a whole, and once again felt both impressed and disconcerted.

Once she knew the girls had been released from their detention (assisting Oobleck with grading papers, of all things), Winter had contacted Weiss, letting her know that, if they wished, she was available for another Semblance lesson. They had accepted eagerly, Ruby more so then the others given her newly healed leg, but Weiss had seemed just a tad annoyed. Winter didn't know the specifics as to why, only that it had to do with their training of Blake's Semblance that day, or lack-thereof.

The plan for the day was to help them master the barrier glyph… at least, that's how it started out. Much to her chagrin, Winter quickly learned that one couldn't really make a _plan_ for Team RWBY, so much as a general outline. It had taken less than fifteen minutes for her sister's significant others to take her carefully laid out training regiment, and promptly opt to create their own on the fly. Thus, Winter found herself delegated to be less of an instructor, and more of an advisor.

She had learned rather quickly that each of Weiss' girlfriends (and, no, Winter did _not_ think she would ever get use to that) each had vastly different strengths and weakness in regards to her family's Semblance. Ruby had trouble focusing on her glyphs while moving, while Yang had yet to create two glyphs of the same size. Blake was a bit better, having quickly grasped the concept of consistency and focus, but instead found that her glyphs lacked durability, shattering after a single hard blow.

Still, she had to admire their dedication to adapting. Ruby quickly set to recreating Yang and Blake's obstacle course from the previous day of training, hovering near the warehouse ceiling atop her ever-moving glyphs. Yang had taken to Winter's advice ( _"Try using an actual object as a base, and attempt to match it's size"_ ) with perhaps a little too much enthusiasm, spray painting a half-dozen circles of various sizes on the walls of her chosen corner, repeatedly forming glyphs over them with varied success. And Blake…

Blake had taken a more hands on approach to her problem.

"Again!"

As Winter watched, Penny flew forwards, a blade in each hand as she held both swords out towards Blake. The cat Faunus blocked the charge with Gambol Shroud's blade, the grating sound of metal on metal forcing her ears back with a wince. Penny reacted instantly, spinning with her remaining momentum to bring her left blade to Blake's side…

...only for it to be deflected off of the small glyph hovering above Blake's left wrist.

 _Using a glyph like an actual, wearable shield._ Winter shook her head at the thought. Just a week ago, she'd have thought the notion impractical, given the sheer focus needed to keep the needed hand sign steady during combat. Yet, Blake seemed to be pulling it off.

The Faunus and the android met again in a flurry of blows, Blake blocking most swings with her own blade, while dodging the rest. Winter couldn't help but be impressed with her reflexes. Penny had been crafted to be a master swordswoman, trained by Winter herself. Yet Blake was able to match her blow for blow, moving with a fluid grace that seemed almost like she was dancing around her opponent.

Penny took an upwards swipe at Blake's side, forcing the Faunus to block downwards. With a seemingly effortless leap, Penny flipped over Blake's back the second their blades touched, going for another slash once her feet hit the floor. Blake was already moving, lifting her left arm in defence. Penny's blade slammed into the center of the glyph… shattering it.

Blake hissed as the purple snowflake faded away, her fingers tensing with phantom pain.

Penny ended her aggressive stance instantly, releasing her swords to hover at her side. "Blake, are you injured?" She frowned in worry, green eyes glowing as she scanned the girl in front of her.

Blake returned a small grin, shaking her aching hand. "I'm fine, Penny. Just…" She hissed again as her fingers twitched, wincing. "That one hurt a bit more than the last one."

Penny hummed in thought. "Perhaps you should attempt to deflect blows with your glyphs at an angle, rather then block them straight on."

Blake flexed her hand a few times, looking thoughtful. "Maybe." She twitched her fingers, enveloping them with a violet glow. A new glyph formed over her hand. Raising her blade, she lowered into a battle stance. "Ready?"

Penny blinked, then beamed. Her swords flew back to her hands, and she clashed them together in anticipation. "Combat ready!"

Blake gave a smirk, and the two locked blades.

A small smile pulled at the corner of Winter's mouth. It was heartening to see Penny interacting with someone so openly, given her origins. The girl needed friends, ones who accepted her for who and, more importantly, _what_ she was. Team RWBY seemed to have taken to the role with no qualms. Penny's robotic nature was a complete non-issue to them, and Winter was thankful for that.

A frustrated groan pulled Winter from her thoughts.

She turned away from the sparring girls, turning instead to the center of the warehouse. She watched as the massive glyph spread out over the concrete floor collapsed in on itself, taking with it a half-formed blob of a summon. At the far end of it, standing opposite of the Paladin wreck, Weiss let her arms fall limp to her sides. She scowled at the fading white light, eyes darting back and forth as the snowflake disappeared.

Winter frowned. That was the third failed summon in the last half-hour. She walked over to her sister, her critical eye scanning her. "Weiss."

The younger Schnee jumped slightly, startled by Winter's appearance. She looked to Winter, biting her lip nervously.

 _She should really break that habit_ , Winter thought idly. "Show me your form."

Weiss just barely stifled a grimace (Winter still caught her lips pulling back slightly), and instead just nodded. She lifted her arms, twisting and arching her fingers, bending her arms at careful angles. Her eyes went from her arms to Winter, looking for approval.

Winter looked her over, searching for any flaws in Weiss' position. After a long thirty seconds, she nodded. "Your form is perfect." Weiss' lips twitched up slightly, but she repressed any other reaction. Winter hummed thoughtfully. "You need to work on your focus. For your summon to take form, you must have every detail of it in mind. Try again."

Weiss swallowed nervously, then focused on the ground. Her hands glowed, and another large glyph formed… very slowly.

 _Her speed needs work too,_ Winter thought, though she kept the notion to herself for the moment.

* * *

Across the warehouse, Yang watched the Schnee sister's from the corner of her eye. She absently kept forming yellow glyphs in front of her, but wasn't really keeping track of their sizes anymore. She frowned slightly when she saw Weiss' brow scrunch in concentration, bringing another glyph into existence.

At the center of the glyph, something seemed to be moving.

Yang watched as Winter frowned towards the glyph. Her lips moved, saying something Yang couldn't hear. Weiss gave a stiff nod, her hands glowing a little brighter. The blotch at the center of her glyph moved and shifted. The formless mass slowly started to shape, creating something vaguely humanoid. Winter gave a small nod of approval, still frowning. Weiss' fingers twitched, and the form moved. It seemed to reach out of the glyph, like a diver moving to break through the surface. Metallic fingers poked out of the glyph…

And promptly shattered it, Weiss' glyph splintering into a million tiny fractals, taking the fledgling summon with it. Weiss let out a yelp of pain, bring her arms to her chest like she'd been burned. She stared at the empty floor in disbelief, then slowly panned over to Winter. The elder Schnee frowned in thought, looking between Weiss and the empty space. She slowly shook her head, letting loose a sigh. Weiss' shoulders slumped, a defeated look on her face.

Yang frowned at the whole interaction. _Failure_ and _Shame_ ebbed off of Weiss, muted as she tried to suppress the feelings. She caught sight of Ruby and Blake look over, both sporting matching looks of concern. Weiss waved them all off, careful to use the arm out of Winter's line of sight. Yang's eyes narrowed when Winter merely ordered Weiss to try again, and the younger sibling did so with only the briefest hesitation.

Yang hummed. A thought nagged her. She might have been new to using glyphs, but something about the way Weiss and Winter were training seemed familiar. When she pieced together what it was, she resisted a groan.

She wanted to say something. She _should_ say something. But, there was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind, telling her she should stay out of it. It wasn't her place. Winter was Weiss' only attentive family, as far as she could tell. She was just a girlfriend. She imagined reversing the rolls, how she would react if someone walked up and said she was training Ruby wrong.

Yang shook her head, coming back to her thoughts as Weiss yelped again. Yang looked up… then felt herself getting angry.

That expression… It was brief, but something flickered across Winter's face when Weiss' glyph shattered again.

 _Okay,_ she thought, fighting against her building temper. _Decision made._

Leaving her practice rings behind, Yang started across the Warehouse floor.

* * *

"Hey, Winter? Could I talk to you for a second?"

Turning away from Weiss' failed attempts, Winter met Yang's eyes. Though the blonde seemed as carefree as ever, there was something in her eye, behind that cocky smirk, that made Winter wary. She held her stare for a moment, then turned back to Weiss, saying, "Keep holding the glyph open for as long as you can. If it fails, break for five minutes, then try again."

Weiss nodded, her focus on the glyph only breaking to shoot Yang a curious glance. Yang just flashed her that soft smile, then waved for Winter to follow her.

Yang didn't lead her far, just to the other side of the warehouse. The blonde leaned against the wall, staring out at the area as she crossed her arms. When she didn't immediately say anything, Winter followed her gaze. They could see everything from where they were, from Ruby creating and leaping from glyph to glyph, to Blake and Penny having their spar.

"So, is this how you learned all this?"

Winter looked to Yang, but the brawler was still looking out at the warehouse, her eyes focused on Weiss. She glanced at Winter, then clarified, "Glyphs, summoning. Is what you have all us doing the same way you learned to do it?"

Winter's head pulled back slightly, a small move of understanding. "Unfortunately not," She explained. "My grandfather passed away before I was old enough to learn from him. I mostly learned my skills through trial and error, with the help of his journals."

Yang nodded. "Okay…" She drawled. "So you're teaching us the way you figured it out."

The elder Schnee nodded. "In a manner of speaking. It seemed the best method to go by, considering you three's, shall we say, lack of experience."

Yang hummed, smirking slightly. "Well, can't really say you're wrong." She held up her palm, a yellow glyph flickering to life. She flexed her crossed fingers, her smile widening as the glyph grew and shrank with the movements. "This is beyond cool, but after what you told us about how these things work, figuring it out blind must have been a real headache."

Winter allowed a small chuckle, her lips curling a bit. "At times," She admitted. "There were days, early on, when it felt like I was making little progress."

Yang laughed in return. Then she asked, "Does Weiss know that?"

Winter blinked, narrowing her eyes at the blonde in confusion. "Pardon?"

"Does she know you had trouble, figuring all this out?"

"She knows my skills did not come easy to me. That they required hard work and training for me to get to where I am." Winter's eyes narrowed further, now in suspicion. "Why do you ask?"

Yang shrugged, letting her glyph fade. Shoving her hands in her coat pockets, she said, "Well, maybe I'm wrong, but, you seem kind of-"

 _Shrii-chk!_

Yang and Winter flinched as a piercing sound filled the air, only to cut off with a sound like breaking glass. They both turned just in time to see Weiss massive glyph shatter, the ghostly image of a robotic arm splintering along with it. They heard Weiss suck in a startled breath, gripping her forearm in pain. She hung her head, breathing deeply, before walking over to acooler of water. Ruby, having seen all this, quickly leapt down from her fledgling glyphs, running to Weiss' side as she waved off Blake's look of concern.

Winter's lips pursed as she watched Weiss retreat. _She should have been able to hold out for at least a few-_

"That."

Winter turned back to Yang, only to find the brawler frowning at her.

"Excuse me?"

Yang crossed her arms again, meeting Winter's stare with her own. "That look you gave Weiss. You're disappointed she's not better with her summoning."

Winter was startled, not of the accusation, but by the matter-of-fact tone Yang used. Feeling her hackles raise, Winter stood up a bit straighter. "I won't deny it. I'd expected her to have progressed further than this in our time apart."

"Why?" Yang asked, unnervingly calm.

Winter frowned. "When I was her age, I could already summon a full size Deathstalker. I'd hoped Weiss would be capable of a similar feat by now."

To her surprise and ire, Yang laughed, seemingly to herself. "Ah… yeah, that's what I figured."

Despite herself, Winter's face pulled into a slight scowl. "You disagree?" She asked, her tone warning.

Yang either didn't notice or didn't care, chucking as she said. "Well, if you're going to try using yourself as a measuring stick for Weiss, then yeah, I definitely disagree."

Winter's eyes hardened. "And what, may I ask, do you find wrong with that?" Her voice grew colder with every word, challenge building.

Yang lazyly put her hands up, a slight frown on her lips. "Hey, I'm not trying to start nothing. I was just wondering if there was something Weiss should be doing different." She looked over Winter's shoulder, watching as Wiess' hands trembled. A bead of sweat trailed down the heiress' forehead, her eyes never leaving the glyph at her feet. Yang made a small sound of worry. "She looks like she's having trouble."

Winter's eyes narrowed a bit, following Yang's gaze. She stared for a moment, the intensity in her eyes fading. She gave a brief sigh as she turned back. "She's doing everything perfectly. She just needs practice."

Yang raised a brow, catching Winter's brief hesitance. "You're sure about that?"

Winter frowned, trying not to scowl. "Yang, Weiss and I are… well, I suppose, _were_ … the only people on this planet with our abilities. As you said, it took great pains on my part to reach the skill level I have, and I've passed everything I know, all that I've learned, onto her." She turned to watch Weiss, eyes growing softer and voice growing more confident. "She has everything she needs to reach my level."

Crossing her arms, Yang hummed. "Yeah… I'm not so sure."

Winter huffed in irritation. She may have been willing to give these girls some leeway, for Weiss' sake, but Yang was quickly pushing dangerously close to Winter's breaking point. "And I suppose you have experience in this field?" The barbed words slipped out, Winter's voice briefly dipping into the same sarcastic, superior tone Weiss had been known for in their early days.

Unexpectedly, Yang grinned. "Well… yeah, actually. Kinda."

Winter blinked. Her eyes squinted as she looked for signs of deceit, but Yang seemed genuine in her statement. "You'll have to explain that to me."

Yang breathed a slight laugh, then looked towards the ceiling. "Okay, how to start?" She asked herself. She scratched the back of her head, trailing her fingers down her unruly blonde mane. After a moment, she nodded to herself. She met Winter's eyes, asking, "Can I ask you something first?"

Winter quirked a brow, her annoyance at the blonde still present. "I suppose."

"Do you know what my Semblance is?"

Winter blinked, unprepared for the sudden change of topic. She tried to recall the information Ozpin had sent her before, as well as the deluge of insanity she'd heard in Ozpin's office the past Sunday. "You can redirect kinetic energy, if I recall." She answered after a few seconds.

Yang's lips pulled back in uncertainty, her head swaying side-to-side in thought. "Well… kind of, I guess. That's the short version, at least. Whenever I get hit, I can take the energy from that hit, and add it to my own strength." She re-crossed her arms, her lips curving back to her usual smile. "Now, the thing is, my dad's Semblance works the same. So, when he started teaching me how to fight, and we got to me learning about my Semblance, he taught me the same way he figured it out."

Winter arched a brow. Admittedly, Yang's training did seem to parallel Weiss'. "And how was that?"

Yang smirked a bit. "Get hit really hard and try to store the energy as long as I could. Problem was, it worked great for him, but for some reason, I couldn't store the energy like he could. I could hold it in for a while, but eventually, my insides started feeling like they were on fire. The pain would just keep building until I finally let it all out." She shook her head, chuckling. "Took us six months before we figured out what was wrong."

While now curious, Winter still wasn't quite sure where Yang was going with her tale. Still, she had peaked her interest. "And that was?"

Yang snorted. "Well, turns out that while our Semblances were _similar_ , mine is a lot more unstable than his." She pulled away from the wall, fully facing Winter. "See, Dad can absorb energy, and then store it, as far as I know, forever. And he can just keep stacking that energy with every hit he takes, growing stronger and stronger, until he lets it out."

Yang then brought her hands up, clenching her fists. To Winter's surprise, her eyes turned red, and her hair started glowing. "Mine's a little different. We can both absorb energy, but Dad can only unleash as much energy as he's been hit with. Me though, when I absorb energy, it turns out my body doubles it." She relaxed her hands, and her eyes and hair faded back to normal. "Pretty cool, but it has a pretty sucky drawback. Unlike Dad, I _have_ to release that energy pretty quickly, otherwise it starts tearing me up inside. Torn muscles, fractured bones; it ain't pretty."

Winter winced slightly. For all the trouble her Semblance had given her in the early years, she'd never been physically hurt by it. She was still confused though. "That sounds like a rather troubling issue, but I fail to see what that has to do with how I've been instructing Weiss."

Yang rolled her eyes, much to Winter's annoyance. "Okay, I'll spell it out. You know _why_ it took us six months to figure this out?" Winter gave a tiny shake of her head. "Because, since our Semblances _seemed_ to be the same, my dad kept teaching me how to use mine _exactly_ like his, when the whole time it was the wrong thing for me to do. It wasn't until until pretty much all the bones in my right arm shattered for apparently no reason that we figured out I was different from him."

Winter's eyes narrowed, now understanding. "And you think I'm doing that with Weiss." Winter considered it for a moment. She could see what Yang was implicating, but she disagreed. "Your logic is flawed. Unlike you and your father, I _do_ know that Weiss and I share the same Semblance. It's not the same."

Yang hummed, her eyes looking up in thought. "Maybe not exactly, but close enough. I kept doing what my dad said was the right way to learn my Semblance, and ended up beating my head against the wall until my bones broke." She then looked back out at the warehouse, towards where Weiss was standing. The young heiress was back at it, a large fresh glyph suspended in front of her, its center rippling slightly as Ruby watched. Yang bobbed her head towards them. "Weiss is doing exactly what you keep saying is the right way to learn her Semblance, and is beating her head against the wall with this summoning stuff."

Winter's eyes widened at Yang's implication. She felt a slight twinge in her chest, but she quickly forced it away, replacing it with cold anger. She scowled at Yang. "So you think I've been teaching her incorrectly all this time?"

Yang threw up her hands again, apparently sensing Winter's change in mood. "Hey, I'm just speaking my mind here. You know a lot more about this glyphs stuff then Weiss, and _way_ more than me. I just think you both might be overlooking something."

Seeing the honesty in Yang's lavender eyes, Winter forced herself to calm. However, she couldn't help but feel a little insulted. Crossing her arms and lifting her chin, she asked, "Such as?"

Yang groaned in frustration. "Look, all I'm saying is, as someone who's been there, it _really_ sucks when you keep comparing your own progress to someone else, and despite doing everything they're telling you, you never seem to measure up."

Winter's stare held strong, but she couldn't help feeling another slight twinge. Her eyes darted to the side again. Another of Weiss' glyphs had shattered, and the younger Schnee was now resting on the ground, scowling at nothing. Ruby was at her side, speaking lowly so that only Weiss could hear. The heiress' scowl faded, but never got any better than a small frown.

"...Weiss feels that way?"

The words had been spoken softly, intended only for Winter herself to hear. Yang, however, apparently had exceptional hearing. She let out an amused huff. "Not that she'd ever admit it. She tries to keep her feelings locked down tight, especially when something's bothering her. Except… well, she can't really hide that from us anymore."

Winter turned back to Yang, perplexed. In answer, Yang just smirked and lifted her hand, tapping a finger against the colorful Mark on her neck.

Winter felt a spark of annoyance, this time towards herself. "Right… I'd forgotten," She admitted ruefully. "That must be a useful skill."

Yang chuckled. "Yeah… though, Weiss calls it cheating." She turned to watch Weiss and Ruby again. The two were standing, Ruby speaking excitedly with numerous arm movements, while Weiss frowned, looking… apprehensive? Their emotions reflected their looks, peaking Yang's curiosity as to what they were discussing.

She kept focus on her current conversation, however. With a sidelong glance, she told Winter, "Weiss really looks up to you, you know that?" Winter shot her a surprised look, which Yang ignored, continuing her point. "She's working her ass off to impress you… but I think that might be part of the problem."

Across the warehouse, Weiss formed another glyph, even slower than before. Her eyes kept flitting towards Ruby, the younger girl watching her hands attentively.

Winter watched Weiss struggle for a moment, unease plain on her face. "...I don't mean seem hard on her." Winter murmured softly, making Yang look over. "I just want to make sure that she…" She struggled to find the proper words.

"You want to make sure she'll be okay when you're not around to protect her?"

Winter stiffened, not expecting Yang's words to hit so close to the mark. With a sigh, she admitted to the blonde, "Precisely."

Yang grinned ruefully, staring off across the warehouse. "Believe me, I know the feeling."

Winter followed her gaze, her eyes landing on Ruby, still speaking softly even as Weiss focused on her summon. "Could you elaborate, please?"

Yang heaved a great sigh, putting a hand to the back of her head. "It's... a really weird situation." She looked down for a moment, then met Winter's yes with a muted smirk. "You know why Ruby and I have different last names?"

Winter blinked in surprise, her brow raising. She tried to hide her shock at the question, only slightly succeeding. "I… have an idea." She admitted. "Your school records have you and Ruby listed as having different birth mothers. I assumed that was partly the reason."

Yang nodded, her smirk fading just a tad. "Okay, that saves time, I guess." After a brief moment, Yang took a deep breath, her face brightening a bit. "Well, I'll save you the gory details… _mostly because I still don't know them myself_ …" She muttered, her tone growing annoyed and slightly angry, before returning to normal. "But the short version is, for whatever reason, my mom took off when I was real little. Not even year later, I had a new mom and a new little sister."

Winter swallowed discreetly. The way Yang said that left… implications. She was quickly becoming aware just how out of her depth she was with this subject. "That seems…" She fished around for the least acusitory thing she could say. "...quick."

To her relief, Yang merely snorted, through with little humor. "Yeah… Rubes and I have a couple theories on that whole thing…" Yang waved the whole subject away. "It doesn't matter right now. Besides, Ruby's mother, Summer, was basically supermom. Took care of us, kept us happy." She smiled softly. "She treated me like I was her own daughter. As far as I'm concerned, she was my mom."

Winter smiled at that, but sighed when she caught Yang's words. Trying to sound as sympathetic as she felt, she said. "I noticed you said 'was'."

Yang let out a long breath. "Yeah. Add it to the list of questions I'll never get answered. When I was about four or five, she went out on some solo mission… her first in years... and never came back."

Winter nodded, expecting as much. "I'm sorry."

Yang shrugged, nodding in thanks. "Things got… _complicated_ , after Summer disappeared. Since Dad's got his teaching job and our Uncle was always out doing Hunter stuff, Ruby and I were kind of on our own a lot. And, without a mom… I tried to fill the role for Ruby."

Yang fell silent for a moment, and Winter tried to absorb her words. She could already draw the parallel Yang was hinting towards. "So… you worry about her."

Yang laughed lightly. "Constantly. I'm actually really thankful she earned early admittance to Beacon. Otherwise, I'd probably be going nuts every day, wondering if she was okay or not. Plus, you never know if she's going to have… _questions_ that only I can answer." At Winter's curious brow, Yang smirked. "Hey, don't get me wrong. Dad and Uncle Qrow try their damndest, but there's, um, _certain things_ that are just easier to learn from another girl, if you know what I mean."

Winter nodded in understanding, conceding the point. "Yes, I suppose I- "Then her eyes shot wide, something in Yang's words triggering a memory. Her head snapped towards the blonde. "Wait… Uncle _Qrow_? As in Qrow _Branwen_?"

Yang blinked in surprise, then beamed a smile. "Yeah! What you know him?"

Winter felt her eye twitch slightly, her gaze panning mechanically from Yang to Ruby, chatting animatedly with Weiss as the heiress practiced. A scene played in her mind, one of multiple repeated events, as while having to speak with the man, she was forced to listen to Qrow Branwen rave half-drunkenly about how proud he was of his two quote-unquote ' _kick-ass'_ nieces.

Two nieces that, apparently, her sister was now dating _at the same time._

Her head throbbing with a coming headache, Winter closed her eyes, massaging her furrowed forehead. "We are… colleagues of sorts." Winter forcibly shoved the thoughts away. She could focus on that revelation and its implications later… perhaps, ironically, with the help of the bottle of Vacuoian bourbon Qrow had given her as a gag birthday gift.

Instead, she returned to the conversation… albeit reluctantly. She was aware of what Yang was trying to do, but still… asking for help was a blow to her pride. "Then… as one elder sibling to another… what do you suggest?"

Again, Yang just shrugged. "Not sure, honestly. This summoning stuff is a bit over my head at the moment." She looked back towards their younger siblings. "Maybe start by asking if she has any ideas about… oh, no, Ruby, what are you thinking?"

With a start, Winter's head snapped towards the two, expecting the worst. Weiss had apparently given up on her latest attempt, and was now holding Ruby's hands in her own. Weiss eyes kept flicking from their hands to Ruby's face, full of apprehension, but the leader just smiled away, practically bouncing with excitement. After a brief moment and a resigned smile, Weiss had Ruby hold her hands up, curving the fingers of each hand into a particular pattern.

Winter's eyes shot wide in disbelief. "She's not serious."

Yang looked the two over, quickly coming to the same conclusion that Winter had. "Knowing Ruby… yeah, she is."

Winter shot Yang a quick glare. "I meant Weiss! She can't even create a summon of her own yet. Why is she showing Ruby how to do it?"

A small snort escaped Yang, her lips quirked up in an amused grin. "Probably because Ruby asked." She raised an eyebrow at Winter. "Think she can do it?"

Winter looked at Yang like she was crazy. "Of course she can't! She has absolutely no experience with anything but barriers." She shook her head, incredulous. "We have to stop this. They're going to hurt themselves." Winter took a single step forward…

...but she was too late. Ruby's hands glowed red as Weiss stepped to the side. After getting a hesitant nod from Weiss, Ruby threw her hands out excitedly. A massive red glyph spread out over the floor, right at the feet of the wrecked Paladin. It spun in place, faster than any Weiss had ever created.

For a single fleeting second, the outline of something large and winged appeared on the glyphs surface. But in the next, the glyph failed. However, unlike Weiss' before, Ruby's glyph didn't just shatter.

It exploded.

Violently.

Shards of broken glyph flew out in all directions, either dissolving or shattering again on contact with the walls. A bolt of red lighting shot out of the dying glyphs center, webbing out and striking the Paladin corpse in the shoulder, making the whole thing sway in place. Ruby and Weiss jumped back, throwing their arms over their heads in fright. At the other end of the warehouse, Blake and Penny stopped sparring, looking over just in time to see the glowing red particles rain down on them.

Everyone stared at the blackened, scorched concrete at Ruby's feet. Then they jumped as an ominous creak sounded throughout the building. The wrecked Paladin creaked and groaned, it's shoulder smoking. With a metallic _snap!_ , the cable holding the mechanical corpse to the ceiling gave way, making the entire mech sag. With the sudden lack of support, the other cables broke in quick succession, sending the Paladin to fall on its nonexistent face with in a cacophony of metallic sound.

When the echoes of the mech's collapse finally faded away, stunned silence was all that was left.

"... _snk_ …"

All eyes suddenly fell on Weiss, her hands covering her mouth since the mech's fall. A light laugh escaped her lips as she looked at Ruby's… _results_. She cut herself off quickly, guilt in her eyes as she turned to apologize to her girlfriend…

...only to find Ruby having a giggle fit of her own.

After a moment of seeing and, Winter suspected, _feeling_ Ruby's humor over her failure, Weiss started laughing with her, making only a token effort to hide her giggles behind her hand. Across the way, Blake rolled her eyes at the two, smiling fondly, before reassuring Penny that everything was okay. Getting a nod and a smile from the android, the two resumed sparring.

Winter watched all of this, completely gobsmacked. Neither she nor Weiss had had a glyph fail so catastrophically before. Yet, no one, neither Weiss nor Ruby herself, seemed the least bit concerned. If anything, given Blake's reaction, they treated the event as if it were… _normal_.

"Insanity." She breathed out.

Yang chuckled beside her, reminding the elder Schnee that she was still there. "We prefer 'unconventional'." She cocked her head to the side, eyeing the scorch marks on the ground. "The heck did she try to summon, though?"

Winter glanced at her, the straightened her back, trying to collect herself. "I believe it looked to be a Nevermore."

Yang blinked, then laughed. "Go big or go home, I guess." She shot Winter a grin, bobbing her head towards the giggling pair. "We should probably go over there before our sisters blow themselves up… again."

Winter nodded, her lips quirking upwards. "Agreed."

Yang nodded to her, starting to walk towards the two. Winter followed at a slower pace, watching Ruby and Weiss in consideration. The partners were now talking normally, Weiss trying to answer Ruby's barrage of questions as she gestured with her hands. Winter was surprised to see how… _relaxed_ Weiss seemed, grinning as she described in great detail how a summon was supposed to work. Ruby nodded along with her, matching each hand signal, without the glow of her hands, thankfully.

Winter looked between the two, her eyes trailing to the smouldering stone at their feet. She listened as Yang joined the conversation, already laughing as Ruby started laying out exactly what happened in great detail, Weiss quickly translating her mangled explanations.

As she watched the three interact, Winter considered Yang's earlier words. She thought of the numerous journals their grandfather had left for them, laying out his own experiences with glyphs. She thought about reading through them again… this time, with fresh eyes by her side.

* * *

High in the rafters of the warehouse, tiny red eyes watched the group. They lingered on Yang, then Ruby, watching the two interact with the Schnee sisters. A moment later, black wings flapped silently, and a raven soared through one of the warehouse windows, no one inside any the wiser.

* * *

 **A/n:Two years writing this wacky little story… and I'm just getting started.**

 **So… yeah, I made up a Semblance for Taiyang. I think it works, and my actually work into something later on in the story.**

 **The chapter title, in addition to referencing Yang and Winter's interaction, is also inspired by the fact that, despite not seeing a cloud in three days, the temperature where I live hasn't left single digits in almost a week. Ain't the winter time great!**

 **Next chapter: Blake's Semblance training, a check in on Mama and Papa Belladonna… and I introduce yet another character I have to juggle along with the rest of them.**

 **Yay.**

 **Seriously though, considering how much reworking I had to do for this one, I'm actually really looking forward to this. I think it's actually better than my original plans.**

 **See you all in 2018!**


	48. Chapter 48: Clones

**Chapter 48: Clones**

 **Thursday, Beacon Academy, Combat Room**

From within the grey walls of Beacon's Combat Room, the sounds of clashing metal and gunfire sounded. The room, whilst normally open to the student body after school hours, had been blocked off for the evening, reserved for 'special training.' Eight individuals were locked in fierce combat, broken up into one-on-one bouts.

Glynda smiled a bit. Remarkably, no teacher required aid this day, so she had decided to get… _creative_ with the students' detention. A few hours of personal, Semblance-restricted training with her seemed a fitting substitute… and allowed her to observe some of her more unique students more closely.

She scanned the room, measuring the fighting prowess of each student. Ruby and Sun seemed to be a fairly well-matched pair, giving Ruby some much needed experience fighting an acrobatic opponent in close quarters. Blake and Neptune were a bit off, given their vastly different fighting styles and weapon types, but they were making good progress adapting. As for Weiss and Penny…

...well, Glynda wasn't quite sure if the android actually _required_ combat improvement. But she seemed to be giving Weiss some good practice in dodging and blocking multiple projectiles. Every other second, a new sword or laser beam would head at Weiss from some odd angle, and Weiss would either parry or dodge the attack every time.

She felt a hint of pride as she watched them still fighting strong after the lengthy sparring session, even for Sun, Neptune, and Penny. The three might not have technically been her students, but so long as they were under her care, she considered them as such, regardless.

The Professor was brought out of her thoughts by the click of a chambered round. She ducked, flaming shrapnel missing her by a mile, then took a small leap back. Yang's fist slammed into the ground where she once stood, the blonde snarling as she readied for another forward jump.

Given the odd number of students, it only made sense that Glynda filled the final pair herself, while holding back, of course. As such, she chose to spar with the student she felt would most benefit from being matched with her. Yang Xiao-Long was mighty Huntress in the making, of that there was no doubt. But Glynda felt there were a few things keeping her from making the jump from 'good' to 'great'. Her over-reliance on brute force, her reckless lack of defensive maneuvers…

" _Oh, just stay still already…!_ "

...her easily exploitable temper…

Glynda weaved around another of Yang's punches, always staying in range of her blows, but never letting them hit. The brawler grit her teeth in frustration, attempting a leg sweep. Glynda hopped over the slow kick with little effort. It was sloppily executed, obviously inexperienced, but she internally praised the girl for at least attempting to adapt a new style during battle.

Glynda felt her scroll buzz at the same moment Yang reared back her fist, Ember Celica clicking ominously. Yang threw her arm out, the shotgun spray spewing forth…

Only to stop dead in midair, inches from Glynda's nose.

Yang blinked… "Wha-?"

With a flick of her wrist, Glynda's riding crop sparked. With a faint violet glow around them, the shrapnel shot back towards Yang at a much lower velocity, hitting the girl in the chest. Yang grunted in surprise, then yelped when Goodwitch's whip snapped at the tip of her nose. Realising what just happened, she groaned.

"First blood goes to me, Miss Xiao-Long." Goodwitch looked her over with a critical eye as the blonde held her stinging nose. The teacher's eyes softened just a tad as she said, "Your improving. Quicken your footwork, and keep working on reigning in your temper."

Yang glarred slightly, which Goodwitch chose to ignore, but gave a small sigh. "Yes, ma'am," She acknowledged with a respectful nod.

Glynda returned the bow, then pulled out her scroll. She scanned the screen for a moment, reading the new message, before humming slightly.

"Alright everyone," She called out, facing the still sparing teens. "That's enough for now!"

The only responses to Goodwitch's call were groans of relief and exhaustion. The Professor looked around the hall, taking note of which students were merely short of breath and which ones required her intervention. When they'd all given her their attention, she smiled. "I believe you have all served your time well for today." She announced, "Take a half-hour to cool down, and you will all be released for the day. I will email the information for tomorrow's detention later today."

"Yes, Professor," The group chorused, with varying degrees of respect and enthusiasm.

Goodwitch nodded in acknowledgement, then marched towards the exit, her high-heels clicking against the polished floor. The teens held their respectful stances until she passed through the double doors. Once she was out of sight, everyone let out a groan of relief.

"That woman's a slave driver," Sun moaned as he slumped to the ground, laying in an unceremonious heap. As if he'd given some kind of signal, the other teens followed him to the floor, forming a loose circle in the middle of the room. Ruby and Weiss sat next to each other, the heiress leaning her head on Ruby's shoulder as she tried to get her breath back, while Yang and Blake sat together on their right. Penny took a seat between Weiss and Sun, with Neptune moving to Sun's other side, next to Blake.

"Eh… wasn't that bad," Yang replied with a grin, even as she sucked in deep breaths, trying to slow her racing pulse.

Sun shot her an incredulous look as Neptune sat down beside him, just as exhausted as his leader. "You're kidding right? That spar was, like, two hours long!"

"It was actually two-point-three hours," Penny piped up, the only one of the group who showed no signs exhaustion. She winced at the blank looks she received. "I assume that's overly long from the norm?"

Ruby tilted her head, Crescent Rose's folded form resting across her and Weiss' lap. She giggled, a little incredulously. "Uh, yeah. A bit. Why, how long did you _think_ they would be?"

Penny hesitated, glancing around the group. "Um…" She started shyly. "My training sessions last about five hours usually." The widening eyes she received made her quickly add, "But, I'm usually fighting combat bots or sentry turrets during those. And those can fight for a long time."

Sun, still spread eagled on the ground, bent his neck to look the synthetic girl over. The lack of sweat on her brow or heavy breathing was oddly annoying to him. "Penny," he started, letting out a tired breath. "I'm cool with the whole 'robot-girl' thing, but… well, no offense, but can you even _get_ tired?"

Penny blinked at him, then hummed in thought. "Well… kind of. My movements get more sluggish when my power banks start to run dry."

Sun nodded at that, thinking, "Okay… and how long does that take?"

"Um… from full power?" Again, Penny hesitated, her cheeks tinting green. "If I didn't use my energy beams, just from moving…" Her eyes glowed bright green for a moment, faint reversed numbers flashing across her iries much too fast for any of the teens to recognise. She bit her lip, looking embarrassed. "Four-point-seven days?"

Sun just stared at her, blinking slowly. He slowly turned to stare up at the ceiling.

"... that just ain't fair." He deadpanned, feeling every ache and pain in his tired muscles. "I wanna be a robot."

Penny tilted her head at him, not sure what to make of that statement.

Sun swiveled his head, now focusing on Team RWBY. Yang and Ruby were both sitting up just fine, quickly getting their breathing back to normal. Blake was huffing heavily, her cat ears pinned back, but she seemed to be recovering. Weiss was the only one who looked truly exhausted, putting all her weight against Ruby's side. If the closeness bothered either of them, it didn't show. In fact, Ruby's smile doubled in size when she put her arm around Weiss' shoulders, and the heiress just pressed closer in response.

Sun's eyes narrowed as he looked between the sisters. "What about you two? How come you just look fine?"

Yang chuckled at him, looking a little smug. "Me and Ruby have always been physical fighters. We're use to fighting for a long time. Plus," her grin widened. "We've been training with Ruby's Semblance the last couple days. It's always giving her an energy overload, and I think it's starting to bleed over to the rest of us." Her eyes drifted towards Weiss, the heiress blinking blearily as her breathing finally started to slow. "Well, most of us."

Weiss shot her a glare, blue eyes frosty. "Forgive me for not being an endurance nut like the rest of you."

Yang chuckled warmly. "We'll keep working at it, Snowflake. We keep running laps around the forest, soon you'll have all kinds of energy! Heck, maybe you'll end up like Ruby and actually _want_ to burn off as much as you can."

Weiss rolled her eyes at Yang's obvious exaggeration. "Joy…" She muttered.

Ruby gave her own reaction to Yang's words, in the form of a very sophisticated rasberry.

Everyone gave a laugh at that. With a groan, Sun managed to push himself up, sitting cross legged with the rest of them. "So," he started looking around at each girl. "That's really what your Affinity is? You all just… have each others Semblances?"

"Not quite," Blake said, running a hand through her hair in an attempt to flatten it back down. "So far, we've only used Ruby and Weiss'. And we still need to practice before we can really use them properly."

Sun shook his head in bemusement. "' _Only_ '. You guys do realise that if you figure out the other two, you're going to _kill_ at the tournament, right?"

Yang let out a dark cackle. "Oh, we know. It's going to be _awesome_."

"If we _can_ use you and Blake's Semblances," Weiss piped up, giving Yang a significant look. "And learn how to use them halfway decently in a fight."

Yang waved her off. "Oh, details, details."

Raising an eyebrow, Neptune looked between Yang and Blake. "So, why haven't you all tried using you two's Semblances?"

A small huff of a laugh passed Yang's lips. "Well, I'm still trying to figure out how to teach everyone mine."

"Don't you just absorb energy by getting hit really hard?" Sun asked.

Yang leveled a flat stare at him. " _Yeah_ , but it's after I absorb it that's the hard part to explain. I have to store it a certain way inside myself. Otherwise, bad things happen."

Sun's brow shot up in interest. "What kind of 'bad things?'"

Yang smirked. "The last time I screwed it up, I pulverized all the bones in right arm." She held said arm up, as if showing them the damage. "Not broken. Not fractured. _Pulverised_ , into a thousand little shards. Even with my aura, it took three _months_ for it all to heal up. And trust me, it _hurt_."

Everyone winced the picture Yang painted, Ruby unconsciously rubbing at her right leg.

Yang chuckled at their reactions. "Yeah, so, I'm taking baby steps relearning the little things about my Semblance before I even try getting my girls here to do it. Might ask Nora or someone else super strong to help with the absorbing part."

At that, Penny perked up. "My strength is many times that of a normal human, Yang. Perhaps I could be of assistance?"

Yang blinked in surprise, not having considered Penny as an option. Though, thinking of it now… it _was_ kind of obvious. "I might take you up on that, Penny. Thanks."

Penny smiled widely. "You are most welcome."

Sun nodded to Yang, then turned towards his fellow Faunus. "What about yours, Blake?"

Blake's ears perked up slightly, wincing a bit when all the attention was turned on her. She was well aware of Weiss lifting her head from Ruby's shoulder, crossing her arms with an expectant look.

"Yes, Blake," The heiress said, her voice tinged with slight annoyance. "Why _don't_ you tell us about your Semblance? I'm _curious_."

A weak groan passed Blake's lips as she stared up at the ceiling. Yang snickered at her while Ruby giggled.

Sun looked between them, confused. Then he noticed the faint glow on Blake's skin, the blue snowflake standing out from the rest of her Mark. It took a him a second to realize he'd just witnessed a moment between Mates. "Okay, what am I missing?"

Ruby stifled her laughter as she answered him. "We don't actually know what Blake's Semblance is yet."

At the surprised looks of Sun, Neptune, and Penny, Yang chimed in, "She keeps avoiding the subject everytime we bring it up. And it's starting to make Weiss a little pissed."

"Annoyed," Weiss corrected, glancing at the blonde.

" _Pissed_ ," Yang reaffirmed, prompting Weiss' eyes to narrow with mock-scorn.

"It's kind of funny," Ruby giggled, pressing her fist to her lips.

Again, Sun could only look around in confusion. "Okay, still lost." He zeroed in on Blake, tilting his head a bit. "What's the big secret? I mean, I know most people keep their Semblance under wraps- y'know, element of surprise and all that…"

"They do?" Ruby asked, sounding genuinely confused. Sun spared her a glance, but continued.

"...but I figured you'd all at least tell each other. Y'know, considering…" He gestured towards his neck with a flick of the hand.

Blake gave Sun a long look, then slowly looked to each of her Mates. She was met with curious stares, each offering feelings of _Encouragement_. With apprehension clear on her face, she sighed deeply, her cat-ears dipping down. "I just don't think my Semblance will be of any use to you three."

Yang blinked, then gave a bemused chuckle. "Blake, you're kidding, right? Whatever your Semblance is, I'm sure it has a use."

Again, Blake sighed, her lips forming a slight frown. "It does, just… not one that really matches your fighting styles." With one more quick glance around, Blake closed her eyes and focused.

Everyone gave a startled gasp as the air around them seemed to shift. Directly across from Blake, at the center of their odd circle, the air seemed to darken, like smoke appearing from nowhere. In less then a second, the smoke pulled together, weaving and solidifying, until it formed a very familiar shape. Once the form solidified, colors blinked across it's features.

Yang's mouth fell open, her eyes blinking rapidly. "O-kay… that's new."

Weiss started, her lips moving slightly as she tried to speak. "Well…" She eventually settled on. "I'm not sure what I was expecting, but… that's..."

"So cool!" Ruby was bouncing where she sat, leaning in close to Blake's creation. "You can make more of yourself!"

Sitting in the middle of the group, in the same position as it's creator, was an exact copy of Blake. From her cat ears to her amber eyes, black coat and pants to Gambol Shroud's compacted form hanging from her hip, she was a flawless duplicate.

Blake smiled at their responses, Ruby's in particular, though none of them missed the nervousness dancing in her eyes. "There's a bit more to it then that, Ruby. My Semblance lets me make these shadow clones, but… they're not exact copies."

Yang leaned in close to the Blake clone, scrutinizing every detail, then looking back to the original. "Looks pretty exact to me." She let out a small chuckle, new ideas already forming in her mind. "What are you talking about, Blake? I can think of a lot of ways making more of myself could fit my fighting style. Heck, I could make my own sparring partner."

Blake breathed out, shaking her head slightly. "It doesn't work that way, Yang." When the blonde looked to her in confusion, she said, "Hold your arm out towards her."

Yang tilted her head slightly, but then shrugged. She reached out towards the clone, her palm up, while everyone else watched in interest.

For the first time since forming, Clone-Blake moved, her head dipping a little to look at Yang's hand. Lifting her own arm, the duplicate reached out. Her fingertips just touched Yang's…

And passed right through them.

Yang jumped slightly at the unexpected coolness as the clone's hand passed through her own. She jolted again when the double suddenly blurred around the edges, and dissipated like smoke in the wind.

"Uh… what?"

She wasn't alone in her confusion, as Ruby and Weiss were staring at the now empty spot with open amazement. Penny just looked mildly startled, her eyes glowing again as she scanned the empty floor. The boys' reactions were a bit more surprising, Neptune turning to his partner, while Sun had an odd, excited smile on his lips.

Blake giggled at her Mates' faces, then explained. "My Semblance can only make illusionary clones. They're just smoke and shadows. They can't interact with anything or anyone. Now…" Blake reached into one of her coat pockets, pulling out a metal container. She unclasped the lid, and removed a small blue crystal. "I can use a little Dust to make them solid…"

Without any warning, another Clone-Blake phased into existence in the same spot the last one was in. Blake tossed the crystal at her double, and it raised its hand to catch it. The moment the crystal touched the doubles hand, it shattered, the tiny shards of Dust sinking into Clone-Blake's skin. The clone lost its color, becoming partly see-through, almost like a living ice sculpture. Faint trails of cool air drifted off the clone, fading away in the warm air of the Combat room.

Weiss stared at the Dust-infused copy, entranced by the unexpected use of of family's main supply. "Blake, this is incredible. Can you do this with any type of Dust?"

Blake frowned in thought. "I'm not sure. I know that all the elemental types work, but I've never been able to try using the rarer types of Dust, like gravity."

Weiss nodded to her, making a mental note for her next shopping trip.

Blake turned her attention back to her clone. "Not that it really matters. Even with Dust, my clones are really fragile." In a quick move, she drew Gambol Shroud, unfolding it into its sword mode. Using the blunt side of the blade, she gave the clone a gentle tap on the shoulder. The copy shattered instantly, the ice evaporating as it did.

Yang watched the double fade, her grin growing larger by the second. "Okay, I _need_ to try this."

Blake turned to her, and was startled to find the blonde quickly rising to her feet. "Wait… you mean… right now?"

"Why not?" Yang shrugged as she reached an arm down to Blake, ready to hoist her to her feet. "We have the room for a little while longer. Might as well give it a shot."

Blake stared at her hand for a moment, before grasping it in her own. Once on her feet, she noticed everyone else doing the same, her other Mates watching intently, Ruby with stars in her eyes, Weiss with honest curiocity. Blake was still hesitant. "I don't know if my clones would be very useful to you, Yang. You're sure you want to try this?"

A huff passed Yang's lips as she put her hands on her hips. She gave a softer version of her usual half-smile. "Blake, stop worry whether we'll like your Semblance or not."

The unexpected reprimand made Blake's cheeks tint. She realised that her Mates must have felt her _Uncertainty_ , along with a confusing mishmosh of unnamable feelings. _Reassurance_ and _Calm_ washed over her from all sides, tinged with a bit of humor on Yang's part.

Yang chuckled at the returning _Apology_. "We can figure out how I can integrate it later. Right now, I just want to see if I can pull it off!"

"Me too!" Ruby piped up, throwing a hand up in the air.

"Ruby, put your hand down." Weiss rolled her eyes at her youngest girlfriend, smiling fondly. "Though, I wouldn't mind attempting this as well."

"Hey," Yang barked, pointing at the partners in mock **reprimand.** "I called it first! Wait your turn."

Blake couldn't help but giggle at their antics, feeling some of the tension leave her… which, given Yang's smug grin, was probably her intention in the first place. "Okay, okay! I'll show you how to do it." She looked off to the side, where the boys and Penny were watching them with interest. "Are you three okay with us doing this here? Or, should we move?"

Sun snorted, grinning wildly. "You kidding? Blake, you're giving _Semblance_ lessons. _This_ I gotta see!"

A sudden elbow to the ribs made Sun grunt in annoyance. Shooting his partner an exasperated look, Neptune added to Sun's statement. "So long as you're okay with us watching."

Penny nodded in agreement, smiling. "Indeed. You're Affinity is very intriguing. I would like to observe this lesson, if you would allow me."

Blake looked between the three, her eyes lingering on Penny longer then then Sun and Neptune. Her ears pulled back slightly, a nervous glint in her eye. She forced it away, but Penny caught it. The android tilted her head a little as Blake answered. "I suppose that's okay."

A duel burst of _Assurance_ and _Impatience_ came from Yang, letting Blake know that she was getting antsy. Blake rolled her eyes, but it did make her feel better. It also made her wonder if Yang knew how much she resembled Ruby at the moment, that same glint in her eyes that their leader had whenever weaponry was involved.

"Okay, Yang," She said after a moment of thought. She moved to stand right next to the blonde, both facing the empty space in front of them. The rest of the group moved next to them, forming a half-circle around where Blake's clone once sat. "Let's give it a try."

Yang grinned in excitement. "Awesome. So, what do I do?"

Blake went to speak, then paused. It suddenly hit her that, while she knew how her Semblance worked by heart, she wasn't quite sure how to put it into words. She had newfound sympathy for Ruby, remembering her trouble describing her own Semblance.

Crossing her arms and putting a hand to her chin, Blake thought hard. She went through the motions in her mind, every feeling and alteration needed, thinking of the best description she could think of. As she did so, She failed to notice another clone of herself taking shape, a cloud of shadow forming and condensing _very_ slowly.

Yang tilted her head at the demi-clone. "Uh… Blake? What are you…?"

"Hmm?" Blake's head jerked up, Yang's voice pulling her from her thoughts. The half-formed clone vanished in the same instant, never becoming more than a wispy outline of Blake's form. Blake took no notice. "Sorry, Yang. Just… thinking…" Blake hummed to herself, then nodded. "Okay. Yang, close your eyes."

The sudden order startled the blonde, but she quickly shook it off, her excitement over the new Semblance overtaking it. With a sharp nod, she did as Blake said.

"Now, you need to picture the room, at the same spot my clone was. Focus on that spot."

"Okay," Yang said. Easy enough to do. It was right in front of her.

"Now… hmm." Yang heard Blake hum again, then the snapping of someone's fingers. "You know how it looks when we feel each others emotions? Seeing the little wisps of our aura reaching out to each other?"

Yang grinned, ignoring Neptune's confused whispering to Sun, asking what Blake was talking about. "Sure do, Blake. Kind of hard to forget."

"Good. Now, I want you to focus on your aura, remember that feeling, except, don't send it towards any of us. Picture a piece of your aura reaching out towards that spot where my clone was."

Yang nodded, focusing inward. The instant she started focusing on her aura, the darkness behind her eyelids lit up, the wispy bodies of violet, white, and red aura standing around her. She did as Blake said, and watched as a thin trail of yellow aura drifted away from her, just a few feet away. "Okay… what now?"

"Picture yourself standing where that bit of aura is. Try to… uh…"

To Yang's surprise, Blake let out a startled laugh. Around her, she could hear the others gasp in surprise. Yang frowned, wondering what was going on. "Okay, what am I missing?" She said aloud, a bit of humor in her tone as she attempted to lighten the mood.

Blake let out a short breath, like an amused scoff. "Well… okay, Yang, hold onto that feeling with your aura. Don't release it for even a moment… then open your eyes."

Still confused, Yang opened her eyes.

Only to jump back in fright when she found those same lavender eyes staring back at her.

Right in front of Yang, standing perfectly still, was an exact copy of herself. The same brown jacket, same black short-shorts, same wild mane of flowing blonde hair. The only difference to be seen were the eyes. The color was right, but they somehow seemed… flater. Dulled. Other then that, however, she was perfect.

Yang blinked, dimly aware of everyone else staring at the clone in disbelief. She looked her copy up and down, scrutinising it. She frowned. Turning towards Blake, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "That was way to easy. What's the catch?"

Blake's grin shifted to a small smirk, though Yang could feel a small burst of _Pride_ from her. With a small flick of her ear, she bobbed her head towards the copy. "Try to make her do something."

Yang blinked, looking towards her clone. "Um… okay…" She scrutinized the copy, thinking of how she was suppose to do just that. She tried to ignore the slight chill that ran down her spine. There was something… unsettling about looking at this perfect copy. It wasn't like looking in a mirror, it _felt_ like there was a real person in front of her. Just… that person was her.

She shook off the feeling, ignoring the confused looks Weiss and Ruby sent her and the bout of _Nostalgia_ from Blake. She focused on the task at hand.

 _Maybe… I have to think it? Um… lift your right arm?_

The clone didn't move.

 _Jump. Walk. Speak._ Yang frowned, annoyed. _Fall over._

The clone remained still, the only movement being the faint rise and fall of its chest.

Crossing her arms, Yang shot Blake a glance. "Okay, what's the joke?"

Blake let out a small chuckle, then stepped towards the Yang-clone. "Don't feel to bad. It took me a while to figure it out when I was first learning." The air next to the clone fizzed and shifted, and a new Blake clone phased into existence next to Yang's. The Blake-clone looked at the Yang-clone, tilting its head like it was puzzled.

Off to the side, Neptune looked from the clones to the originals, scratching the back of his head. "This is kind of bizarre." He muttered to his partner, bemusement plain on his face.

Sun apparently thought differently, if his excited grin was anything to go by. "Dude, this is _awesome_."

Beside them, Penny tilted her head at the clones, her green eyes glowing again. Reversed numbers and letters flashed across her irises. "Interesting…" She mused to herself.

Blake faced back to Yang, making sure to meet Weiss and Ruby's eyes as well. "The tricky part of my Semblance is, in order for the clone to do anything, you have imagine what you want it to do _as_ you're making it. For instance, all this one I made can do is look at your clone and…"

Blake lifted an arm, giving the two clones a little wave. A moment later, the Blake clone looked up, smiled, and waved back.

"...wave back when waved to." Blake finished. She stopped waving, and the clone went back to looking over the Yang copy.

A grin spread over Yang's face as she watched the whole interaction. "I get. I didn't think of anything when I made mine, so all it can do is stand there."

Blake nodded. "Exactly. About the only thing of my, and now your, clones can do on their own is simulate breathing and blinking, since we don't need to think for that to happen."

Yang nodded to her in understanding. "Okay. So I just have to think about what I want it to do before I make it? I can do that." She went to close her eyes, then remembered the clone she already had, still standing motionless in front of them. "Uh… what do I do about this one?"

"Your still holding onto that feeling in your aura?"

"Yeah?"

"Release it."

Raising a brow, Yang did so, relaxing her fragile connection with her displaced aura. The moment she did, her clone fizzed way in a hazy cloud of yellow-tinted shadows. In the same instant, Blake's clone vanished as well.

A small hum of satisfaction sounded in the back of Yang's thoat. "Cool. Okay, now lets try…" Her brow furrowed as she concentrated. A few seconds later, a new Yang-clone phased into existence…

And immediately sprinted towards Penny.

The action was so sudden that the android only had time to flail out of the way, a startled " _Eep!_ " escaping her as the clone barreled past her and Neptune. The clone ignored them, charging straight down the length of the room.

Yang pumped her arm in victory, grinning widely. "Awesome! I did it!"

Blake watched the clone run with a raised brow, putting her hands on her hips. "Looks like. What did you tell her to do?"

Yang beamed, looking a little smug. "Just to run across the room."

Blake hummed. Then, slowly, she smirked. "Did you tell it when to stop?"

Yang blinked. Her eyes shot wide as they snapped back towards her clone, who was still racing across the room. "Crap! Uh…" She took a breath, like she was going to call after the clone, only to immediately deflate. She turned to Blake with a sheepish look on her face. "Yelling at her isn't going to do a thing, is it?"

Blake stifled a snort, grinning widely. "I'm afraid not. It's okay. If yours work the same as mine…" She gestured towards the running clone, everyone's eyes following her.

The clone had made it about halfway down the length of the training hall, nearly to the wall. A few feet from hitting it, the clone fizzed around the edges, dissipating like the ones before.

"... then there's a limit to how far they can move away from you." Blake finished.

Watching the clone fade away, Weiss put a hand to her chin in thought. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Blake? Exactly how detailed do we have to be making these clones?"

A small sigh passed Blake's lips upon hearing the question, her ears wilting slightly. "Very." Seeing everyone giving her curious stares, she explained. "Once you make the clone, that's it. Once its made, it will do whatever you told it too, to the letter, and nothing more. That's the hard part. When I make a clone, I have to visualise everything I need it to do, which is a real pain to do in the middle of combat. Anything more complex than running or jumping in one direction..."

Ruby hummed to herself, trying to picture how she could try using Blake's clones along with her usual style. She already had to keep up her focus while swinging Crescent Rose around, keeping track of when she need to switch from scythe to gun mode and knowing where her opponents were at all times. Using clones on top of all that… her head hurt just thinking about it. "Yeah…that'll be hard to get use too." She perked up instantly, though, mumbling to herself, " _I still want to try it._ "

Weiss nodded in agreement, a slight frown on her lips. "I assume that's why you haven't used your Semblance until now?"

Blake winced a little. "Pretty much. My clones are really only good for a quick distraction, to compensate for me fighting alone. And…" A pink tinge rose in Blake's cheeks, a shy smile pulling at her lips as she looked to each of her Mates. "I haven't really had to fight alone for a while."

Her Mates smiled at that, Yang giveing her a firm pat on the back as she chuckled. "Nice to know we're good for something, Blakey."

Blake rolled her eyes, grinning. "Yang…" Her cheeks tinted further as she felt the _Joy, Pride_ , and _Humor_ emanating from them all.

The brief moment was interrupted when Ruby suddenly popped up between the two partners, stars dancing in her eyes as leaned in close to Blake. "Can I try using your Semblance, Blake? Please? Please, please, please, please…"

Blake giggled as she pushed Ruby back a little, which only grew worse when Weiss groaned, looking up at the ceiling in exasperation as she muttered, " _Ruby…_ " Blake ignored the heiress, already feeling that her annoyance wasn't genuine. "Sure, Ruby. Now, just like I showed Yang. Close your eyes…"

As Blake launched into Ruby's Semblance lesson, Weiss and Yang listening with humor and interest, Neptune looked on in bemusement, leaning towards Sun with his arms crossed. "Dude, you were right," He muttered so as to not be overheard. "This has got to be _the_ weirdest team on the planet."

Sun chuckled in agreement. "The weirdest, _awesomest_ team on the planet." He gave Neptune a look that practically screamed trouble. "Which means we need to up our game."

With a groan of discontent, Neptune's eyes trailed upwards, as if wishing for help from whatever deity would listen. "I was afraid you'd say that." He let out a long sigh, then turned back to his partner. "I saw your face earlier. Aren't you going to tell them about your Semblance?"

Sun placed his hands on his hips, brow furrowing in thought as he watched Blake instruct Ruby. His fellow team leader was currently bouncing excitedly around a perplexed looking copy of herself, Yang and Weiss looking on as they held back laughs, poorly, in Yang's case.

"...nah." Neptune blinked in surprise as Sun grinned. "Maybe I should, but… dude, they've each got _four_ Semblances. They're going to _shred us_ in the tournament. A surprise Semblance is the only trump card we've got."

Neptune mused on that. Truthfully, slightly underhanded though it might be… Sun had a point.

Beside them, Penny continued to watch silently, having easily overheard the boys conversation. She frowned slightly as Weiss tapped Clone-Ruby on the nose, making it dissipate in a red haze. She felt compelled to speak with Specialist Winter very soon. Before, she was confident that her combat readiness was as high as she needed, but now… There was a chance she would face one of, if not all, of Team RWBY at some point in the Vital Tournament. Four multi-Semblance capable combatants… perhaps she required a hardware update.

Unaware of their future competitors' musings, Ruby and Yang started bombarding Blake with Semblance questions, ranging from useful ("How many can clones can you make at once?") to silly ("Could you just leave one in class without the teacher noticing?"). Weiss took mental notes on each question, preparing to attempt a clone of her own, when she felt her scroll buzz against her leg. Curious, given that the only people who called her were already with her or busy with military maneuvers, she pulled it out to check. An email greeted her.

 _Dear Miss Schnee,_

 _Your request, while notebly unconventional, has been approved by the Headmaster given your team's unique situation. The shipment will arrive within the week and installed while you are all in classes. Please inform your teammates to prepare your dorm for the movers._

 _Professor Goodwitch_

Weiss face pinked immediately. She snapped her scroll closed, trying to keep her face as impassive as possible and her skyrocketing nerves tied down. The curious glances she got made it clear she'd failed miserable, but none of her team said anything… at least for the moment. There would be questions later, no doubt.

She did catch Ruby's gaze, however, a silent question in her silver eyes. Weiss' cheeks pinked a shade darker as she nodded a quick affirmative. A faint dusting of pink entered Ruby's face as well, the younger girl ducking her head slightly as she grinned sheepishly.

This of course drew more attention from Blake and Yang, one pair of partners looking between the other, both curious and no suspicious. Weiss bit back a groan.

Yep. Lot's and lots of questions.

* * *

 **A/n: Our check in with the Belladonna's and our next character has been postponed by one chapter due to my writer's block being a COMPLETE PAIN IN THE-**

… ***ahem*...**

 **So… patience, please.**

 **Also, some you all might have noticed that I futzed around with the chapter titles and this is now part of the newly minted Act III, and Act II apparently ended back at chapter 36. This is because, having reread the whole story up to this point (and noticing the metric s***ton of errors I made back in the early days. Gonna have to fix all those at some point.) I decided it made more sense if Chapters 24-36 were one Act and 37-onwards were another. I just noticed that there was a shift in tone around that point that just felt like it was a new Act. So… yeah, that's a thing. Sorry if it's an inconvenience or sorts.**

 **See you all very soon! (I hope, I hope.)**


	49. Chapter 49: Ocean Blues

**Chapter 49: Ocean Blues**

 **Remnant's Southern Ocean, Northwest of Menagerie**

Blue sky stretched out in all directions over the vast ocean. The seas were calm, a rare occasion given the usual storms and aquatic Grimm that constantly used the stretch of water as their personal hunting grounds. The only disturbance on the water was a single passenger vessel, cutting merrily through the light waves. Passengers were taking advantage of this rare calm morning, relaxing on deck as the vessel carried them towards their destinations, far across the sea.

The cheerful mood on deck was not shared by all, however. On the cabin deck below, one passenger was still in bed, tossing and turning as she tried to stay comfortable under the unfamiliar sheets. Long brown hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, her tanned skin littered with dark flecks. She gave a slight groan in her sleep as she finally found a comfortable position...

 _ **Clang!**_

" _Gah! Dammit!"_

Ilia's snapped awake instantly, her blade already in hand as she crouched low on her bed. Blue eyes scanned the cabin for any sign of danger, flicking back and forth across the four grey walls rapidly. Finding nothing more then wallpaper and cheap furniture, she tried to focus her hearing. Her gaze snapped towards the hallway door when she heard another metallic clang, followed by someone's gruff muttering.

" _Of all the stupid, useless…"_

Sensing no danger, Ilia let out soft sigh of relief, her sword's blade telescoping down into the hilt. Her eyes then sharpened, an annoyed frown on her face as she got out of bed, marching towards the door. She flung it open, eyes instantly falling on a crewman down the hall, bent over as he picked up a number of dirty plates and bowls that lay next to an overfilled service cart. "Could you keep it down, please?" She called down to him. "Some of us are still trying to sleep."

The man looked up at her, his annoyance now mixed with bemusement. "Ma'am, it's past ten o'clock."

Ilia blinked. She looked further down the hall, seeing the bright blue sky of the mid-morning streaming through the portholes on the far wall.

"Oh," She looked back to the man, who spared her another moment of eye contact before picking up the last of the dropped cookware. She watched him place them back in the cart, keeping a hand on the precarious pile as he wheeled the cart to the end of the hall. Ilia stood there for a moment, her mind still jumbled from her early wake-up. Still feeling the dull tug on her eyelids, she let out a groan, retreating back into the darkness of her cabin.

She eyed the bed longingly for a moment, contemplating about going back to sleep. The vague recollections she had of her dreams ended that thought quickly. Still, with nothing better to do at the moment, she lied back down, staring blankly at the ceiling above.

 _Ten o'clock. That means I slept right through the last port._ She huffed to herself, annoyed. _Well, at least we're finally underway._

She'd been trapped on the ship for over a day as it slowly made its way up Menagerie's coast, stopping at every single port along the way. She was all alone for the trip, meaning that the entire time she had nothing to do but bum around the ship, avoid the insufferable tourists, and think about-

Ilia groaned, cursing her own mind for cycling back around _again_.

Blake. Ever since she stepped on this damn ship, her every thought sooner or later drifted back to Blake… and all the hurt, anger, and confusion that came with her.

Her hand twitched towards her pocket, fighting against the impulse to turn it on, bring up those pictures. The ones Adam had _so_ helpfully provided her with, for 'reference.' She wanted to pull them up and _will_ the images to be false. She held back, only because her every effort the previous day to do just that had given no results. The pictures were real, they always would be, and the godsforsaken images they showed would never remove themselves from her mind.

Each one was of Blake, either on the Vale streets or on some campus pathway, with one of three girls. The girl in the cloak and the blonde were a mystery to her. The only thing Adam had given her about them were their names, Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao-Long. But there was no mistaking the last one. Snow-white hair, pale skin, blue eyes; A Schnee.

After everything they'd been through, everything they knew, that they'd _suffered_ through, Blake was with a damned _Schnee_.

Ilia wanted to believe so desperately that it was all a ploy. That Blake was only near the girl due to necessity. Fishing for information, some kind of infiltration; any number of desperate possibilities Ilia could think of, each more outlandish then the last. But she couldn't, due to one, soul shattering detail.

Blake had a Mate's Mark. One she shared with _all three_ of these human girls, not just the Schnee. This wasn't some fling or Blake experimenting. They were Mated.

Blake was Mated.

To. A. _**Schnee**_.

Ilia yelped as she felt a sudden sharp pain in her hand. She lifted her arm quickly, looking for the cause… only to find that her arm, along with the rest of her body, had turned a bright, angry red.

Ilia blinked at her new skin tone, only to groan. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm. She felt her skin ripple, the tiny scales covering her body shifting. The red hue slowly faded away, her skin returning to its normal tan color. She opened her fist, finding four crescent moons cut into her palm, each the exact size of her nails.

Ilia stared at her bleeding palm for a moment. With a huff, she forced herself to her feet. Her mind was a jumbled mess, and staying in the dark cabin wouldn't do anything to improve it. Hopefully the sun and sea air would help.

A quick change of clothes later, and Ilia started her trek through the ship. She ignored most everyone she passed, not that they gave her any mind in return. People were giving her a wide berth, likely due to the look of deep thought on her face.

 _A Schnee. How… why… what could have changed so much in the last year, Blake? To turn your back on us… on me… in every way possible?_

She had reached the deck before she even realized it. Her hands gripped the railing as she stared down at the clear blue sea below. She took a deep breath, a slight smile finding its way onto her lips. She'd been right. The salty sea air and warm sunshine beating down did make her feel better… physically, at least.

Crossing her arms on the railing, Ilia stared out randomly towards the horizon. It would be a few days before shore came into sight again… leaving all the time in the world to stew on her thoughts. About Blake, her Mates, and… what it meant.

She'd lost Blake. Lost her before she'd even known the chance was still there.

It _hurt_. She'd spent the last year carefully putting up walls, blocking out the thoughts and feelings that had plagued her ever since she'd met a certain black-haired cat-Faunus. And with that first picture Adam sent her, it all came flooding back tenfold.

Could anyone really blame her for her feelings? When, years ago, after having her old life ripped away from her, she'd been smitten by the first person to reach out? That the attraction grew stronger as they grew closer, as Ilia learned more and more about that cute, starry-eyed girl who dreamed of a peaceful world, who want to follow in her father's footsteps towards creating it? That her heart ached as she watched that girl get beaten down by the cruel world around them, and gladly filled the role of confidant for her when things got to be too much?

Not that Blake knew any of this. Ilia knew there was no chance that Blake would see her in the same light she did _him_. Adam. Their leader. The man she grew up with. The one she trusted above all others. The one she constantly swooned over, even if she didn't realise she was doing it.

Adam had everything: strength, charisma, leadership, and an existing history with Blake that Ilia never truly learned the extent of. Compared to that… Ilia didn't have anything to offer.

Not that she didn't try. She'd dropped hints, made comments. Even came dangerously close to just outright asking for a date. Yet, Blake noticed none of them, so oblivious that Ilia was convinced Blake simply wasn't attracted to the female sex.

She snorted darkly. Oh, how wrong she'd been.

So, Ilia contented herself with being happy that Blake was happy. She took every smile, every hug, every bit of wayward affection Blake threw her way. She appreciated whatever Blake would give her, and supported her whenever she could.

Even when she came running up one day, a beaming smile on her lips and a scabbed over bite mark on her neck.

Ilia heaved a sigh, resting her chin on her folded arms. That day… that was the beginning of the end. Seeing the start of Adam's Mark on Blake's neck, listening to her gush about just how wonderful life had suddenly become, made Ilia's very soul ache. Still, she plastered on a smile, listening to Blake babble about 'the moment'. Given the state of the Fang at the time and the pressure everyone was feeling, it had been months since Blake had been so genuinely happy.

And then it all went wrong.

One moment, Blake and Adam were leaving for a raid, some supply train that was passing through the area. The next, Adam was storming into their base, screaming, raging, calling for Blake's blood. Saying she was a traitor, had abandoned him when they were moments away from victory. For a full week, every White Fang member in Vale was sent out searching, told to find Blake at any cost and drag her back to Adam. Until the last bit of Blake's aura burnt out, Adam's Mark dying with it… and so did any shred of compassion Adam had.

And all the while, Ilia stood in the background, unable to believe that her world had turned upside down _again_.

She'd gotten lucky. In the resulting weeks after Blake left, Adam seemed to grow crazier and crueler with every passing day. Between the toxic environment Adam exuded and the questions about Blake constantly taunting her, Ilia knew she had to get away. She had quietly transferred back to Menagerie, under the pretense of keeping watch on Kuo Kuana, just in case Blake returned home.

Though Ilia knew she never would. She knew Blake, knew her quiet concerns over the White Fang's methods and actions. Blake had barely called home during the year before she left the Fang, too afraid of what her father would do when he learned how the White Fang had changed. There was no way she'd come back to Menagerie now, and risk her parents' wrath in person.

So Ilia went back to Menagerie. Committed herself to the simple work the local faction gave her, organizing White Fang supplies and recruiting any Faunus willing to listen. Allowed herself to enjoy life without the hate and bigotry of humans. Tried to put Blake out of her mind, and bury all the confusion, worry, and anger towards her.

Until Adam suddenly called, and ordered her back to Vale.

Ilia suppressed a growl, scowling at the water below. _What does he even expect me to do? Talk to Blake? Fight her?_ She'd be lying if she said the idea wasn't appealing. Some dark part of her wanted to fight Blake, to confront her with all the anger and frustration her actions had heaped on her. Maybe even get some answers as to why… just _why?_

Ilia felt the brief ripple of her chameleon scales, and quickly forced the feeling down. She shook her head, pushing off from the railing with a grunt. She was getting nowhere, letting her thoughts cycle like that. She needed to clear her head. Take a walk around the deck, or…

 _...grw…_

Her cheeks (and thankfully, _only_ her cheeks) tinted pink as she glanced down at her stomach.

 _...or maybe get breakfast,_ she thought sheepishly, already moving down the length of the ship, towards the dining hall. She turned to re-enter the sip, navigating down the different corridors crisscrossing the ship.

Still, her mind wandered back to Blake. _I just don't understand. Blake hates the SDC just as much as I do. How could she stand to be in the same_ room _as that Schnee, let alone… let alone sharing her soul with her?_

Again, she had to fight to keep her skin from changing color, flinching as her nails dug back into her palms.

That was something that confused her, though. The fact that Blake herself had a Mate's Mark. All three girls were human, they shouldn't be able to give her one.

 _Though… it is right where Adam's Mark use to be. Almost exactly, if I remember right. Maybe-?_

" _Dear Dust, I thought that would never end."_

Ilia stopped dead, her head shooting up in shock as a man's voice cut through her thoughts. _That voice…_

She knew that voice. She'd heard it countless times in the past, on news broadcasts and old recordings. Back before the White Fang...

" _Oh, relax, dear. We expected people to ask questions as soon as they recognized you."_

Ilia's head turned around so fast she felt the bones in her neck pop. Another one, a woman. There was a branching hallway a few steps behind her, and the voices came from just around the corner. Ilia recognized them instantly, ice filling her veins.

 _It can't be,_ Ilia thought in denial, as her instincts were already shooting into high gear. Her eyes snapped around, looking for anything, anywhere she could…

There. Just ahead of her, a door on the left was left slightly ajar, shelves of cleaning supplies just visible.

Ilia dashed towards the broom closet, slipping in and closing the door behind her, quickly but quietly. She pressed herself against the door, straining to hear over her pounding heart.

" _That doesn't mean I have to like it."_ The voicesdrew nearer, Ilia's stomach dropping with every word. They were so familiar… but they couldn't be. They just couldn't! _"You know I don't like it when people act like I'm above them."_

A woman giggled, her light voice a sharp contrast to the deep baritone of the man. " _Yes, I know. You see fit to remind me after every public appearance. They're just showing how much the respect you."_

The man sighed, the people's footsteps just outside Ilia's hiding place. _"I know, I know. And I appreciate it. It just gets a little grating getting asked the same questions over and over again."_

Again the woman laughed. _"Well, we can relax now."_ She sighed a moment later, her voice softer. _"For the moment, at least."_

The man hummed lightly in agreement, and their footsteps just passed her hiding place. Ilia, heart hammering and hands shaking, slowly eased the closet door open just a crack. She peered through the opening, seeing the backs of a man and a woman heading for the dining hall. The man was intimidatingly tall, decked out in purple attire of leather and white furs. The woman wore a flowing black dress, golden studs pierced through the familiar cat ears poking out her black bob.

Ilia immediately shut the door, her eyes bugging out as she remained hunched over the door handle.

 _That… that's Chief Ghira and his wife. How… when…. Why are Blake's parents here?! When did they even get on board? I would have noticed if…_

Her blood froze, dread overtaking her.

She'd slept through the last port. That must have been when… _But they live in Kuo Kuana! Why would they be at a port so far north? Why… why would the Chief even leave Menagerie? There's nothing going on right now… nothing that he should know, at least._

A wayward thought struck her, one accompanied by long black hair and amber eyes.

 _Could she have really…?...No, she was too scared. She wouldn't… but then how…? ...why would they…?_

This was far beyond her comfort zone. Chief Ghira wasn't just some celebrity or politician. He was their Chief. Their _King_. Founder and former leader of the current White Fang.

That last realization gave Ilia newfound understanding of Blake's old fears. If he learned of the White Fang's current methods… from her...

It was too much. In a panic, Ilia pulled out her scroll, frantically typing out the burner number Adam had given her. A direct line to him in case of a true emergency, and this most definitely qualified!

The hit enter, watching the cursor spin… for all of a second. Then the worst thing possible popped up on her scrolls display.

 **NO SIGNAL**

What felt like a ball of ice settled in Ilia's stomach. They were in the middle of the ocean, far outside the range of any transmit tower. It would be days before the ship came into range of a communications network of any kind.

She was trapped. Trapped on a ship with the leaders of Menagerie, the parents of her crush and the White Fang's public enemy number one… and not only had no idea what to so about it. She had no way to find out what she _supposed_ to do about it.

" _Do you think we should stop by Patch on the way? Maybe introduce ourselves to Ruby and Yang's family?"_

Ilia blinked, her panic momentarily broken by Kali's question. While her moment of horror had felt like an eternity, only a few seconds had truly passed. The Belladonnas had moved further away, but their voices still carried down the narrow corridor. If possible, Ilia's eyes widened even further, her head snapping towards the voice as if she could see through the walls.

 _Ruby… and Yang? But… those are the names_ -

" _Probably not."_ Ghira's voice answered. " _From what Blake told me, they haven't told their father about their Mating yet. I doubt he'd want to find out by us just showing up on his doorstep."_

" _Hmm…"_ Kali hummed. _"I suppose that's true. Unfortunate, though. I was hoping to…"_

Ilia tuned out the rest of Kali's words. In her mind, two things kept replaying on a loop.

' _Blake told me.'_

' _Mating.'_

They knew. Blake's parents knew she was Mated. Blake had contacted them. Told them.

How much did she tell them?

Ilia's head shot up at the thought, the implications. If Blake was speaking to her parents again…

She could hear the Belladonnas moving further away, unable to make out their words anymore. Ilia peeked out the door again, seeing them at the far end of the corridor, near a pair of double doors that lead to the dining hall. Instinct took her, her jumbled mind only able to think about _getting away_. Once she was out of sight of the Belladonnas, maybe she could actually have a coherent thought as to _what in all hell she was going to do?_

* * *

As Ghira opened the dining room door for her, one of Kali's ears twitched. A door quickly snapped shut behind them, and the faint sound of rapid footsteps echoed around corridor. She turned around, perplexed by the sound.

For a split second, she saw someone duck around a corner, their long brown ponytail whipping behind them from how fast they were running. She blinked in surprise.

"Kali? Something wrong?"

Pulled from her thoughts, Kali turned back around. Ghira was still holding the door, concern in his golden eyes.

Kali smiled back at him. "Nothing dear. I just thought I saw someone."

Ghira frowned, looking over her head down the hall. "Not a troublemaker, I hope. I'd like to make it through this trip peacefully, without any… incidents."

Kali hummed, grinning as she stepped around him into the dining hall. The room was fairly empty, just a few people milling around a large buffet table. "You and me both, Ghira."

They'd made it about halfway across the room before…

"Excuse me? Sir? Are you... Chief Ghira?"

Kali turned around just in time to see Ghira's face as he closed his eyes. She quickly put a hand to her mouth, stifling a giggle at the oh-so familiar expression on his face, the one she'd learned over the years meant all he wanted to do was yell 'oh, come on!' Opening his eyes, Ghira sent her a heatless glare, before heaving a sigh as he put a tired but genuine smile on his lips He turned to face the nervous young wolf-Faunus behind him, patiently answering the man's questions.

As Ghira dealt with the curious tourist, Kali went to find an table. Sinking into an empty chair, she let her mind wander. Something about that person in the hall… she seemed familiar. Kali thought hard, racking her brain for details, anything.

With a blink, she remembered. At least, she _thought_ she remembered. Pulling out her scroll, Kali started pouring through every picture she had. Years and years of captured moments, from her own interests, to Ghira's speeches, to…

There. Kali tapped on the one she was looking for. Not one she'd taken herself, but one sent to her. It was of a younger Blake, smiling with a childlike innocence that, regrettably, was now severely diminished. She had her arm wrapped over the shoulder of another girl of the same age, one with blue eyes and long brown hair, pulled back in a ponytail. The girl was waving at the camera awkwardly, smiling nervously. Under the picture was a small note.

 **-Hi Mom! I made a new friend here in Vale. Meet Ilia!**

Kali stared at the girl in the photo, comparing her to the person she'd glimpsed in the hall. Maybe she was wrong but…

She looked up from her scroll, seeing Ghira still talking with the wolf-Faunus, nodding his head every now and then as they talked.

Kali sighed. _I'm sorry, Ghira,_ she thought. _But I have a feeling this trip won't be peaceful for much longer._

* * *

 **A/n: Yeah. I just shoved Ilia, Kali, and Ghira on a boat for a few days, with no contact from the outside world. Only good things can come of this… right?**

 **I hope I did Ilia okay. It was kinda hard to get into her head, especially since this is pre-Battle of Beacon, before everything started getting really crazy. Maybe it's just me, but I'd think that the White Fang pulling off such a huge assault on a Kingdom like that, might have skewed Ilia towards her more extreme moments we saw in Volume 5. I so seeing her now, I feel she'd be a bit calmer.**

 **Hope you all liked this little intermission. Next chapter, its back to Beacon for something a lot of you have been waiting for and Wess has been dreading: The Talk. Yes, that one.**

 **...I might need some time for this.**

 **Later!**

 **P.S.: To everyone who mentioned last chapter: Thank you for pointing out that I screwed up how to spell the word Sembl** _ **a**_ **nce, despite it being on of the most important things in the story. I done goofed, and it has been fixed.**


	50. Chapter 50: The Talk

**Chapter 50: The Talk**

 **Friday, Beacon Academy**

" _Now, when it comes to the field of medicine, the use of Dust can serve a multitude of purposes, but must be used with proper care and knowledge."_

Weiss was quick to write down the words of Professor Peach, noting anything that sounded like future test material. Normally, Dust Studies was her favorite class. Not only was it a subject she excelled at, but it was also the only class to have what, in her opinion, was spectacular anomaly: a Beacon teacher who was _normal._

Well, mostly. Professor Peach was known to be a tad… _passionate_ about her subject from time to time, occasionally giving slight over-explanations into Dust mechanics. But she was nowhere near the levels of odd that, say, Professors Port and Oobleck were known for. No long-winded ego boosting to bore them all to sleep, no motor-mouthed speeches that left them all scratching their heads; at worst, Peach would over-explain her lessons. Which was fine for Weiss. It just gave her more information to note, which in turn gave her more material to tutor Ruby with later.

Though, it was not an opinion shared by most. A quick glance around the room showed Weiss that at least a quarter of the students around her had zoned out, staring blankly at the interactive board as Peach lectured. The brunette Professor was not unaware of this, her teal eyes occasionally narrowing at a dozing student, and loudly asking he or she a rapid-fire question. Nearly every time, the entire class would jump in surprise, and the unfortunate student would fumble to respond to a question whose answer they had dozed through. The entire class would find the lesson very interesting immediately after.

" _In an emergency situation, Ice Dust can be used to snap-freeze a wound shut. This is to be used only as a last resort, however, as having too much Ice Dust in contact with one's bloodstream can lead to numerous health concerns. These can include hypothermia, Dust poisoning, toxic shock, cellular damage…"_

As Peach prattled on, Weiss looked around the room, towards her girlfriends… or, Mates? Weiss still wasn't quite sure what to really call them. She'd been calling them girlfriends in her head the whole time, but the more she read on the subject for Velvet and Coco, the more she started to wonder. According to Blake, since she was human, it was up to her personal preference which term she should use. Weiss had yet to decide on one or the other.

Weiss shook the thoughts away, her eyes landing on Yang. She smiled a bit as she watched the blonde copy down Peaches words. Yang usually tuned out during Dust Studies, but with the revelation of Blake's Semblance, she was suddenly much more interested in the various ways Dust was used. At her side, Blake did the same, the Faunus' eyes occasionally drifting towards her partner. If the small curl of her lip was anything to go by, she was having similar thoughts as Weiss.

When Weiss layed eyes on her own partner, however, her amusement quickly shifted to annoyance. " _Ruby…_ " She hissed under her breath, hoping the little leader could Feel her annoyance.

From the brief burst of _Sheepishness_ , it seemed Ruby had… but didn't appear to be acting on it. Keeping an eye on Professor Peach, the speedster was hunched behind her desk, one hand hidden under it. Every few seconds, a soft red glow would come from under the desk, only to quickly fade away. At Ruby's side, Nora watched curiously, looking fascinated and amused.

Weiss resisted a groan, eyes moving forward to see if Professor Peach had noticed. Already, Weiss regretted her decision. When Ruby started asking her about all the different types of glyphs, Weiss had made the mistake of saying there was one she thought the girl could do easier than the others: Velocity. She'd then compounded her error by showing Ruby how to create said glyph, but only after making Ruby promise to only practice when they were alone.

 _Honestly, I'm not even surprised,_ Weiss mused, rolling her eyes. _I give her something new and expected her to leave it alone? I should know better by now-_

"Miss Schnee?"

Weiss jumped in surprise. She felt a chill when she found Peach's narrowed teal eyes staring up at her.

"Name two different uses of Lightning Dust in the medical field."

Weiss stalled briefly at the sudden question, back straightening as she realized she'd acquired Professor Peach's ire. She pushed past it, quickly rattling off, "Accelerated cell division and… cellular fusion?"

Professor Peach held up her narrowed gaze for a moment, before smiling wryly. "Quick thinking, Miss Schnee. Now, eyes forward, _please_." Turning around, the professor launched back into the lesson. " _Through the use of outside forces, Lightning Dust offers a plethora of vastly different medical applications, though most are still considered experimental. Some successful achievements with it currently consist of multi-purpose antibodies, same-sex reproduction… the regrowth of lost limbs is currently at the forefront of…_ "

Weiss breathed a sigh of relief as the class'' attention went back to the lesson, feeling like she'd just dodged a bullet. Her head snapped to the side, fixing Ruby with an annoyed glare. Seeing this, Ruby ducked her head and gave a sheepish smile, turning back to the lesson… though for how long, Weiss could only guess.

Trying to push away her embarrassment, Weiss went back taking notes, pointedly ignoring the _Amusement_ sent her way from Yang and Blake.

Unfortunately, seeing as Dust was a subject she already knew much about, it wasn't long before the points Peach was lecturing about were all things Weiss already knew. Normally, this was a good thing, and would give Weiss a sense of pride at being ahead of the curve. Today, however, the _last_ thing she needed was more time to think.

She hadn't received a message from Goodwitch yet. Which wasn't too strange, it had only been a day since the last one. But, Goodwitch said that her order would arrive sometime next week… meaning she needed to tell Yang and Blake about it. And if she told them about that, it would inevitably lead to…

Weiss forced down the sudden heat in her cheeks, trying to push the thoughts away. Yes, it was something they needed to address, something she _wanted_ to address… but that didn't make it any easier… or less embarrassing.

Weiss sighed, staring ahead as she paid only the barest attention to the lesson. It frustrated her to no end. It wasn't even that difficult a subject… or, at least, she didn't think it was. She just had to sit down with them all and ask… to tell them that… see if they want to repeat…

 _...can I seriously not even_ think _the words?_ Weiss did her best not to groan, her blush fully reignited. As it was, she wilted in her seat, frustrated and angry with herself. _I'm hopeless… and now Blake is looking at me like she's worried. Perfect._

Weiss wracked her brain, trying to think of the best way to convey across the Link that there was nothing really wrong, just her own insecurities getting the better of her, _again_ , when-

 _Thump!_

 _ **CRASH!**_

Everyone in the room, teacher and student alike, jumped at the sudden sound of shattering glass. The students, startled out of their education-induced daze, looked around for the source of the destruction. As they all looked around wildly, however, Weiss, Blake, and Yang instantly knew of the source, courtesy of the _Surprise_ and _Shock_ tingling at the back of their minds.

Weiss' head snapped back towards her partner. The moment she saw what was before her, she audibly groaned, hiding her face behind her hand. " _Ruby…_ "

Said girl was staring up at the ceiling with wide eyes, her mouth curved into a small 'o'. Her hand remained hidden under her desk, a red glow shining through a tiny hole that had appeared through the tabletop.

Somehow (though Weiss had a feeling she knew _exactly_ how), Ruby's pencil had propelled itself through her desk, and embedded itself into the ceiling. Tiny shards of glass rained down onto her desk, the remnants of a now broken lightbulb.

Beside Ruby, Nora had clasped her hands over her mouth, a shocked look on her face as she stared the mechanical pencil protruding from the light socket. Her green eyes bulged, her shoulders shaking with barely contained laughter.

Weiss' shoulders slumped. She could already hear Winter's clipped words about 'improper Semblance use' and 'disrespecting valuable class time'.

Speaking of which…

Weiss slowly panned from the impaled light socket to Professor Peach. To her dismay, Peach was looking up at Ruby's results as well, arms crossed and a single eyebrow raised. She then looked over to Ruby. "Miss Rose?"

Ruby, startled out of her disbelief, quickly met the Professor's gaze. When Peach's eyes very deliberately flicked towards the young leader's desk, crimson light still shining through its surface, Ruby scrambled to put her bare hands on the desk. She winced as her palms came down on the broken glass lying there, quickly pushing them off to the side as she gave Peach a scared smile.

Peach was unimpressed. "I suppose I can tell Professor Goodwitch I found something you can do with your detention time today."

Ruby's shoulders slumped. From the front of the room, Yang and Blake twisted around in their seats to look at Ruby, the blonde sending her a half-annoyed, half-amused look. Blake merely looked up at the pencil, back down to Ruby, and sighed in resignation.

Weiss buried her head back in her hands.

 _Well,_ she thought, grasping for some shred of a silver lining. _At least she made the glyph work._

* * *

 **Same Day, Beacon Hallways**

Several hours and one Detention later, Team RWBY was slowly making the trek back to their dorm, moving at an easy pace through Beacon's many hallways. Normally, being Friday, the four girls would go out into the city for, as Ruby would call it, 'team bonding'. Though, given their recent change in dynamic, they'd been considering doing something a tad more… well, 'date like', was the best way any of them could put it.

By mutual agreement, however, said potential date would have to happen on another day. After two hours of cleaning numerous classrooms and categorizing Dust stores, all the while getting asked random Dust factoids by Professor Peach, the only thing any of their tired minds wanted to do was rest.

Which meant that, unfortunately for Weiss, she'd run out of excuses. With nothing going on, it was the perfect time to bring up her surprise… and ask her questions.

 _This is going to go badly. This is going to go horrendously, I just know it._

For the third time within an hour, Weiss felt that tingling feeling in the back of her skull, Ruby sending her _Calm, Assurance_ … and a twinge of _Exasperation_. Weiss huffed at that. _Okay, if I'm managing to make_ Ruby _annoyed, maybe I should try to calm down. I mean… the worst that could happen is they say 'no', right?_

"Weiss, you need to relax."

The heiress bit her lip, eyes darting nervously towards her eldest girlfriends walking ahead of them. She held no illusions that they couldn't hear her. Even if not for the short distance, the sheer amount of _Embarrassment_ and _Nervousness_ that was surely rolling off her was sure to draw their attention. They were being mercifully kind, heads tilted in their own conversation, but the odd mix of _Humor_ and _Concern_ made it clear: they knew something was up.

Ruby bumped Weiss' shoulder again, with more force than before. "C'mon. There's nothing to worry about."

Weiss looked away, crossing her arms stubbornly… and maybe a little defensively. "They're going to make fun of me."

"They're not-" Weiss cut her off with a sharp look, which she punctuated with a quick glance towards Yang's back. Ruby chuckled sheepishly, conceding the point. "Okay, maybe a little. But you know she won't mean it." When Weiss stayed stubbornly silent, Ruby frowned. "Weiss, you've been putting this off all week. You have to tell them."

Weiss swallowed nervously. They were only a few turns away from their dorm, where Yang would have free reign to grill her for whatever she was hiding. Logicly, she knew there was no point trying to weasel out of this talk, not when she could measure the time she had left in footsteps. Unfortunately, logic had taken a backseat to her worry, embarrassment, nervousness… and a small kernel of fear, that grew larger with every passing moment of indecisiveness.

"I know," she muttered, her tone sharper then she meant it. Her voice softened as she met the calm pools of silver watching her in concern. "I know. It's just… " A hint of pleading bled into her voice. "You know I'm not good at this, Ruby."

Ruby just gave her that infuriatingly kind smile, softly bumping her shoulder into Weiss'. "It's okay. It's a little weird for me too, considering…" Her eyes drifted towards Yang's back, the blonde currently chuckling at something Blake said.

Weiss' face reddened considerably. "Yes… that's…" She struggled for _some_ kind of response, but just couldn't find the proper words. After failing to form a coherent statement, she finally just blurted out what she was wondering. "How are you two going to deal with that?"

Ruby shrugged in a way that would have been funny if Weiss didn't already feel the _Uncertainty_ toiling beneath the leader's bubbly facade. "Awkwardly?" Ruby offered.

Weiss' response was an unimpressed glower.

Ruby giggled. "Yeah," she agreed. "It's going to be weird for all of us, but…" She put a hand on Weiss' arm, gently easing the heiress to uncross her arms. The moment the heiress relented, Ruby slipped her hand into Weiss', squeezing it gently. "We'll work through it. All of it."

Weiss looked down at their entwined fingers, then back up into Ruby's silver eyes. She held her gaze for a moment, before letting out a deep sigh. "Okay," She finally relented, smiling weakly. "Do me a favor, though?"

"What?"

"...stay next to me?"

Ruby blinked, and her smile softened. Her grip of Weiss' hand tightened. "Always."

Any chance of further talk was lost as the team made the final turn down their hallway. Across from their dorm, the door for Team JNPR was left cracked open, allowing Weiss a quick glimpse of their fellow team relaxing. Jaune and Pyrrha sat hunched over a desk, Pyrrha pointing towards a textbook while Jaune nodded to her words. Ren sat cross-legged on his bed, an opened book in hand, while Nora lay splayed out next to him, head bopping along to a rapid-paced song her oversized headphones failed to mute.

Weiss spared the team only a brief glance, before following Blake and Yang into their dorm, Ruby still clasping her hand. As the door clicked shut behind them, Weiss felt her heart jump up into her throat.

 _Well…_ she thought trepidation. _Here we go._

"Ah…" Yang breathed out in relief as she fell back onto Blake's bed. "Home sweet home."

Taking a seat beside her, Blake grunted in annoyance. "Yang, really? Couldn't you have brushed out your hair first? You're getting Earth Dust all over my bed."

Yang blinked up at her, then groaned. " _Seriously?_ I thought I got it all out." She sat up quickly running a hand through her long hair. Tiny specs of brown crystal shook free of her mane, turning to actual dust as they hit the bed. "Ugh… Freaking Neptune. Just had to drop that box right in front of me, didn't he?"

"It was an accident, Yang," Ruby reminded as she pulled off her cloak, scrounging through her dresser in search of more comfortable clothes. Yang just grunted in response, getting off Blake's bed in search of a hairbrush as she grumbled. "Guy's lucky I didn't clobber him for messing up my hair…"

As Weiss started putting her bookbag away, she caught Ruby's eye. Her partner raised a slender eyebrow, bobbing her head towards their other halves. Weiss wanted to groan again, but knew it was no good. If she didn't say something, Ruby would do it for her. And given Ruby's lack of tact…

Steeling herself, Weiss went to speak… only to be cut of by the sound of a ringing scroll.

Blake looked down in surprise, her scroll buzzing against her leg. She pulled it from her pocket, eyeing it in confusion. "Who'd be calling me?"

"Maybe it's your folks?" Yang suggested, pulling a brush through her hair.

Ruby perked up at the thought, eyes shining. "Ooh! If it is, can we talk to them, please?"

Blake smiled at her enthusiasm, shaking her head. "My Dad said they're taking a trip to Mistral right now, Ruby. They're probably in the middle of the ocean by now." She looked at her scroll again, then tapped the answer button, putting it to her human ear. "Hello?... Oh, hi, Velvet!"

Weiss turned quickly towards Blake at the name of their rabbit-Faunus friend. If Velvet was calling, she had a pretty good idea why. She went back to her book bag, digging through it for one book in particular.

Ruby and Yang looked between the two, confused for a moment, before blinking in realization.

"Yeah?" Blake nodded along with whatever Velvet was saying. "Yes, she has been… it's tomorrow?... yeah, one second…" SHe put her scroll to her shoulder, looking towards the heiress. "Weiss? Velvet wants to know if you have everything you found on Mating."

Weiss didn't speak for a moment, still looking through her bag. She pulled out a small binder, filled with various handwritten notes and printed web pages. She skimmed through it briefly, before nodding to Blake. "I think so."

Blake nodded, bringing her scroll back up. "She does... " Her cat-ears shot up suddenly in surprise. "Tonight? Are you sure…" She listened to Velvet for a moment, her ears going down as understanding came over her face. "Yes, that would be cutting it close… of course I will… wait, what!?" Her ears were back at attention, her amber eyes wide. "Are you sure?" Blake slowly looked back at Weiss, matching the heiress confused expression with her own. "Yeah… yeah, I'll ask her." She put the scroll back to her shoulder.

"What is it?" Weiss asked.

"Velvet and Coco want my help advancing their Marks tonight." Blake hesitated a moment, then continued. "And… they want you to come with me."

Weiss jerked her head back in surprise. "Um… why?" Blake could only shrug, just as confused as Weiss. "Well… I suppose I could."

Blake held her gaze for a second, then nodded. Going back to the scroll, she said, "Weiss says she'll come… Seven?" Blake looked up at the wall clock above their door. "Yeah, we'll be there…" She let out a slight laugh. "Your welcome, Velvet. See you soon."

When Blake ended the call, Yang cocked a brow at her. "So… Coco and Velvet are really getting Mated, huh?"

Blake smiled at her. "Looks like." Her smile slipped when something odd drifted across the Link, faint but noticeable. It was hard to pinpoint, but Weiss guessed… _Uncomfortableness_?

It was Ruby who voiced their concerns. "Yang? Something wrong?"

Yang started, as if shaken from her thoughts. She looked around at each of them, meeting their worried eyes. She huffed in annoyance. "It's nothing. I'm just being stupid."

Blake folded her arms, eyes narrowed. " _Yang…_ "

Yang held her gaze defiantly… for all of three seconds. She crossed her arms stubbornly, not looking at any of them. Reluctantly, she said, "It's just… I'm not sure how I feel about you having to bite Velvet."

Blake's brow rose in surprise, her face softening in understanding. "Yang… you know it doesn't mean anything. I'm just helping so that they can have what we have."

Yang groaned softly. "I _know_ that." At the questioning looks she received, she tried to explain. "I didn't say it made sense. I just… I don't know. Thinking about you… with Velvet… I know you're not _doing_ anything, but…" She struggled for the right words, but couldn't seem to find them. "It just makes me feel kind of weird, I guess."

Blake frowned as they all tried to make sense of Yang's emotions. _Jealousy, Worry, Fear…_

After a moment, Blake's eyes widened, her cat ears standing up. Weiss guessed she'd realized what Yang's issue was, given the small smile on her lips. Blake took a step towards Yang, surprising the blonde with a quick kiss.

When she pulled away, her amber eyes bored into Yang's lavender. "I'm just helping a friend." She softly assured. "I'm not going anywhere."

At her words, Weiss' head lifted a little in understanding. She glanced towards Ruby, finding the younger girl looking at her older sister with a tiny smile. A burst of _Approval_ drifted out from her, directed towards Blake.

Yang's cheeks pinked, looking slightly stunned at Blake. She quickly broke eye contact with her, rubbing the back of her neck bashfully as she cleared her throat. "L-Like I said… stupid."

Blake merely frowned at her, the _Disapproval_ coming from her, backed up equally by Weiss and Ruby, said more about their opinion of Yang's thoughts more than words ever could. Yang rolled her eyes at them, though her lips did curl a bit. "So, think you two are all set to help 'em out?"

Deciding to let Yang's subject change slide, Weiss nodded to her. "If we're meeting them at seven, that gives us an hour-and-a-half to plan it out." She walked over to one of their shared desks, putting her binder down next to their borrowed copy of _Strange Fates of Faunus Mates_. "I'll do a quick check over everything I found-"

" _Weiss…_ "

Weiss stiffened at the quiet, reprimanding sound of Ruby's voice. She turned around, finding the sniper looking at her with her arms crossed. Her brow was furrowed and a frown tugged at her lips. It was Ruby's greatest weapon other than Crescent Rose: her patented disapproving pout.

"Wasn't there something you were going to tell Yang and Blake?" Ruby asked, with a tone that, from anyone else would have sounded condescending.

Weiss cringed internally. With Velvet's surprise call, she'd had a fleeting hope that her worries had been postponed for a little longer. _Leave it to Ruby to force the topic._

Yang perked up at Ruby's words. "You finally going to tell us what's been stressing you out the last hour, Snowflake?"

Weiss desire to groan only grew stronger when Blake turned her attention towards her as well, eyes burning with curiosity.

 _Ruby…_ Weiss sent her youngest girlfriend a pleading look. Ruby's frown softened, and Weiss could feel her _Sympathy_ … but she still wanted Weiss to explain.

Weiss swallowed nervously, eyes darting between Yang and Blake. "I...Um…" _Oh… how do I…?_ She looked back to Ruby for help. The speedster gave her an encouraging nod, now smiling gently. Weiss held that gaze for a moment, then took a deep breath. _Okay… just, uh… I'll just plow through it. Just get it over with, and… pray really hard that Yang doesn't make fun of me._ "I… I took the liberty of ordering something for… us. As a… surprise."

Brows raising, Blake and Yang shared a perplexed look. "Okay…" Yang droned. "What is it?"

There was no helping the pink dusting in Weiss' cheeks. She swallowed down her nerves. "A bed." At the partners' duo looks of surprise, she quickly explained. "We've all been complaining that we can't really be together in our current beds, so I did a bit of research. I found a store that sells oversized mattresses, found one that would fit us all and… bought it." Her blush deepened at their stunned expressions. "It'll be here sometime next week," she finished lamely.

"Weiss…" Blake's cat ears lowered slightly, her smile soft. "You didn't need to do that."

Weiss rubbed her arm nervously, not really looking at any of them. "I have the money. And… I wanted to."

Yang chuckled at her bashfulness, surprising the smaller girl by draping her arm across her shoulders. "Wanted to spoil us, huh?"

Despite herself, Weiss' lips quirked upwards, shifting her weight into Yang's hold. "Something like that…"

Yang grinned back, giving her a squeeze.

Blake, however, still looked thoughtful. "Is that really why you were so stressed, though? Just because you bought us a bed?"

Weiss stiffened in Yang's arms, making the blonde frown. "U-Um… well…"

Sudden movement on her other side drew Weiss' attention. Ruby had sidled up next to her, giving her that ever-present comforting smile. Weiss swallowed thickly, knowing that there was no way around it.

 _Just plow ahead,_ she repeated in her mind. She spoke quickly, before she could lose her nerve. "Do you two remember when we first got our Marks? What we… _did?_ "

The confusion on Blake and Yang's faces lasted all of a heartbeat, their brows raising in surprise. Blake's cat-ears shot up, her cheeks reddening as she looked away. Yang, however, smiled broadly, looking pleased. She took a step away as she crossed her arms, her eyes staring off into nothing. "Kinda hard to forget, Snowflake."

Weiss could only nod, her mouth growing drier by the second. She looked to Blake, asking again silently. The cat-Faunus met her gaze, with a smile that Weiss Felt was less embarrassed and more awkward. "My memories are still hazy due to my heat, but… I remember… _plenty_."

Another sharp nod. "Have, um…" Weiss glanced towards Ruby. Despite the visibly heat in her cheeks, Ruby nodded for her to go on, slipping her hand into Weiss' grip as she did so. _Determination_ and _Support_ came across the Link. Still, the only way Weiss could form the needed words was to look down at her shoes, unwilling to see her girlfriends' reactions. "Have you thought about… _doing it…"_ She couldn't help the slight crack in her voice. " _._ …again?"

Silence fell, and Weiss couldn't bring herself to look up. Not that she needed to. She could already feel the emotions her words brought about. _Surprise, Nervousness, Trepidation…_

"Of course."

The sudden response shattered Weiss' thoughts, making her head snap up. Yang stared back at her, smirking with an odd look in her eye.

"Wha- What?"

Yang chuckled at her loss of words, sparing a look towards a stunned Blake and curious Ruby. "Weiss, I'm involved with the two hottest girls in school. Of _course_ I've thought about us doing it again."

Weiss' lips parted slightly, her surprise outweighing her embarrassment for the moment. "Really?" She asked, her voice rising in pitch.

Another laugh passed Yang's lips. "Yes, really." Then she tilted her head in thought. "Wait a minute… is _that_ why you got us a bigger bed?"

Weiss' face caught fire. "No!" She shouted instinctively. She quickly received a sharp elbow and frown from Ruby, and reluctantly backpedaled. Eyes averted from the blonde, she said, "I mean… not _entirely_.."

Yang gave her a long look. She turned to Blake, the two partners having a silent conversation while the Faunus fought down her blush. After a moment, Blake nodded. Yang smiled again, this time softer. They both turn their attention back to Weiss, moving a step closer to her.

"Weiss," Blake said, putting a hand on the smaller girl's shoulders. She smiled gently. "You know you can tell us anything… right?"

"Y-Yeah…" Weiss answered fighting to keep eye contact.

Yang breathed out a laugh. "Weiss, you don't have to be so nervous. If you wanted to have a little _fun_ with us… all you had to do was say something."

Weiss couldn't help but blush deeper at Yang's bluntness. She crossed her arms stubbornly (jerking Ruby's arm across her body as she did, as her partner refused to release her hand), part-scowling, part pouting. "It's not that easy," She muttered, looking down again. "I'm not used to… _thinking_ like this."

"Hey…" Warm fingers grasped her chin, tilting her head up. Yang met her surprised eyes with a caring smile. "We get that. Don't try to rush yourself." She shared a look with Blake and Ruby, before saying, "Tell you what… You and Blake go and help Velvet and Coco. Rubes and I will do some talking, and once you get back, we'll work this all out. Together." She looked back at the other two girls. "That sound good to you two?"

Ruby nodded instantly. "I've been telling her to talk to you about this all week."

Blake's ears dipped a little, matching shy smile. "...It would be nice to have a clear memory of us…" She trailed off, blushing as her grin widened.

Weiss looked around at the three of them, stunned by the _Trust, Acceptance, Love,_ swirling around her. She ducked her head slightly, her lips curving into a hesitant smile.

Seeing this, Yang cupped her cheek, and surprised Weiss with a gentle kiss. She pulled back a moment later, smiling softly. "We'll figure this out together, Weiss. And, hey, depending on how things go…" Yang's smile then shifted to a sly smirk. "Maybe we could even…"

Yang leaned in close to Weiss, her lips almost touching Weiss' ear. Whatever she whispered to her was so quiet that even Blake couldn't make it all out. What little she did sent her cat ears shooting up.

Weiss' head jerked back suddenly with, a look of utter shock showing as her face _burned_. Her mouth worked uselessly for a moment, before snapping shut with an audible click. She met Yang's expectant gaze for a few seconds, before turning on her heel. "I-I'mgoingtogogetreadytomeetCocoandVelvet." She squeaked out rapidly.

Ruby and Blake released her as she walked briskly across the room, ignoring Yang's smug _Satisfaction_ as she darted into the bathroom. The moment the door clicked closed behind her, she buried her face in her hands.

 _Why would she say that?!_ Her mind screamed, cheeks blazing. _That's going to be in my head all night now! Her and Blake…_

She shook her head violently before the image could fully form. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart. _Forget it, Weiss. Just… take a shower. A nice, long, relaxing…_ She sucked in a shuddering breath. _..._ cold _shower._

As Weiss busied around the bathroom, desperately fighting back her now permanent blush, she could hear Blake's voice faintly from behind the door.

" _Yang... you really shouldn't tease Weiss like that. You're going to overwhelm her."_

" _C'mon, I'm just having a little fun. I won't push. Besides… she's cute when she's flustered, isn't she?"_

" _...yeah, she is."_

Ruby giggled in agreement.

Weiss rolled her eyes, putting a hand to her face as she leaned over the sink. _What did I do to deserve this?_

She studiously ignored her reflection in the bathroom mirror, beaming back at her with an embarrassingly wide smile.

* * *

 **A/n: Ugh, this chapter killed me. For some reason, despite there not being a whole lot of plot stuff, this one was harder to write then it should have. Hopefully, this chapter isn't as big of a mess as I think it is.**

 **Wasn't going to address this until it was relevant, but so many people 'corrected' me after Chapter 48, I feel I must explain. Yes, Blake's Semblance works a little different here, FOR THE MOMENT. Semblances can change and advance with time and practice. Just look at Ruby's little split ability she used in Volume 4. Blake's clones can and will become solid, she just hasn't figured that out yet, for reasons that will be explained soon. It'll just take some practice… and maybe a little help. ;)**

 **Next chapter: Coco and Velvet's big moment, pus a check in with Mama Raven and Uncle Roman**


	51. Chapter 51: Crosshares Complete

**Chapter 51: Crosshares Complete**

 **Later…**

"Velvet said the fourth floor, right?"

Blake nodded at Weiss' question, looking around the room in bemusement. For the first time, it struck her just how… _uniform_ Beacon's layout was. Despite being in a completely different building, the lobby of the Third Year dorms looked no different than that of their own.

As they waited for the elevator, Blake took what was meant to be a calming breath. She truly wanted to help Coco and Velvet, but still… this was so far out of her comfort zone. What they were going to do was meant only for future lovers. Biting Velvet… the thought alone unsettled her. She liked Velvet just fine, she was her closest Faunus friend in school... but there was nothing beyond that. Even knowing full well that they were doing nothing really _wrong_ … seventeen years of belief screamed otherwise.

Blake shook her head, banishing her thoughts. She was being ridiculous, making something out of nothing. She was just helping some friends with their relationship, nothing more. The heiress standing dutifully by her side, skimming through her small binder as they waited, was proof of that.

Once the elevator arrived and they stepped in, Blake turned her attention to her Mate. As the doors slid shut, it was impossible to miss Weiss' _Nervousness_ as she held her binder and book tightly against her chest. But what drew Blake's curiosity were the quick bouts of _Thrill_ , quickly followed by _Embarrassment_ , that the heiress kept feeling every other minute. Blake's eyes turned towards the ceiling, hoping Yang could feel the _Annoyance_ she was aiming towards the blonde.

"Weiss?" Blake asked quietly before she could think better of it. "What did Yang whisper to you?"

Weiss' head snapped to her, pink dusting her cheeks. "Y-You didn't hear?"

Blake shook her head, giving her a reassuring smile. "Yang spoke too low. I _did_ hear my name come up, though. So…?"

Weiss looked at her for a moment, before turning away in embarrassment. "Just… something about you and her…" Her face went fully red. " _Tag-teaming_."

Feeling a bit of heat swell in her own cheeks, Blake rolled her eyes. " _Yang…_ " Giving Weiss a sympathetic smile, she asked, "She scare you off?"

Weiss' eyes went wide, her shoulders hunching slightly. "No!" She immediately refuted, a bit louder then she'd meant. Blushing under Blake's raised brow, she clarified. "No. But… she did put a rather... _vivid_ image in my head."

Blake let out a sigh. "Nothing too bad, I hope."

"No," Weiss said quietly. "Not bad. Just…" She looked down, her blush deepening. "...distracting."

 _I'll bet_ , Blake thought to herself.

Seconds ticked by in silence as the elevator ascended. Blake could Feel an odd mix of emotions coming off of Weiss, ranging from _Curiosity_ to _Embarrassment_ and back again. In response, Blake sent over her own bout of curiosity, her brow raising.

Weiss blushed as they made eye contact. She looked away but sighed in resignation after only a moment. "Are you okay with us…?"

Given the last couple hours, Blake didn't need her to clarify. Fighting off her own blush threatening to form, she stepped closer to Weiss, letting their shoulders rub. "Weiss… I'm looking forward to it." Her lips pulled up into a smirk as she watched the redness of Weiss' face creep up to her ears. "Why do you ask?"

Clearing her throat, Weiss suddenly found elevator floor display very interesting, the digital numbers slowly changing from two to three. "I was just wondering. You said your memory of… _last time_ wasn't perfect, so I wasn't sure how you felt about… the whole thing."

Blake's smile widened as Weiss stumbled over her words. The way she awkwardly tried to say what she wanted to say without actually _saying_ it was, frankly, adorable in her opinion. "I'm up for it so long as you and Ruby are." She paused for a moment, thinking. Her smile slowly turned sly. "And… while my memories are kind of hazy, there _are_ a few things I recall quite clearly."

Weiss swallowed nervously. "You… You do?"

Blake nodded, smirking. "I seem to remember that you were rather… _attentive_ with my cat ears." Said appendages wiggled atop Blake's head tauntingly.

Weiss' face went full cherry red, her embarrassment obvious even without the Link. "I-I'm sorry! I was just curious about…"

"Weiss, Weiss…" Blake put a hand on her shoulder, smirk fading into a kind smile. "It's okay. Honestly… I kind of liked it."

Weiss' mouth fell open a bit at Blake's blunt admission, but quickly snapped it shut as the elevator door opened. A small group of students were waiting, so Blake and Weiss quickly shuffled past them, both hoping no one noticed the redness of their faces.

They went down the length of a hallway in silence, before Weiss gave Blake a hesitant look. "That's something I wanted to ask you about, actually. Your ears, I mean," she clarified at Blake's head tilt. "You told us that scratching a Faunus' ears was supposed to be something done in private, but… Velvet didn't seem to mind Coco doing it in the courtyard the other day."

Blake's eyes widened a little. Then she looked down, her lips falling into a firm line. "Honestly, I was thinking of asking Velvet about that myself." Feeling Weiss' _Confusion_ , she went on. "That's what I always believed, and what I was always told. But… when I think about it… I didn't learn that until I was in the White Fang. By then… well, I keep learning that more and more stuff they taught me… that _Adam_ taught me… is wrong." She frowned in thought. "Velvet was never part of the White Fang, so… maybe she was taught differently?"

Weiss looked at her in concern, feeling the usual _Regret_ and _Shame_ that rolled off Blake whenever Adam was mentioned. Hoping to move Blake's thoughts away from her ex, she asked, "What do your parents think about it?"

Blake smiled slightly, well aware of Weiss' attempt. "I'm not really sure. I never asked them before coming here. I remember Dad would scratch Mom's ears every now and then when they were relaxing in the backyard."

Weiss hummed. "Maybe you could ask them about it next time."

"...you know, I just might."

A few more twists and turns found the pair just a few doors away from the Team CFVY dorm. Blake steeled herself as they neared, begging for her nerves not to get the best of her. She gave Weiss a nervous look. "Ready?"

Weiss answered with a small smile, just as nervous. "As much as I can be."

Blake nodded in return. Stopping before the right door, Blake hesitated only a moment, then knocked.

Behind the door, they heard a faint shuffling sound, followed by muffled footsteps. The door opened seconds later, and Coco met them with a small smile. "Right on time," She greeted quietly.

For a moment, Blake and Weiss were left stunned. Coco looked… different. Not only were her signature sunglasses and beret nowhere to be found but, rather then her usual fashionable outfit, all she wore were a pair of black designer jeans and a brown tank top. On her neck, surrounded by a small ring of teeth marks, a blotch of dark tan proudly stood out against her light skin.

Coco seemed to notice their staring, if her sly grin was anything to go by. "You two want to come in, or are we doing this in the hallway?"

Shaken out of her daze, Blake and Weiss blinked. Face warming, Blake cleared her throat. "Y-Yeah. Sorry."

Still smirking, Coco opened the door a bit wider, waving them in.

For some reason, Blake had thought the third-year dorms would be bigger. They were an improvement over the cramped quarters given to first-years, but it still seemed a bit small for four people. Each part of the room seemed separated into sections, various odds and ends giving an idea as to who had ownership of where. A sketchbook laying atop a stack of fashion magazines denoted Coco's desk, while a bookshelf of photo albums and plush dolls seemed more like Velvet.

She didn't know much about the personal lives of team CFVY's other members, Yatsuashi Daichi and Fox Alistair, but she figured the two were likely opposites, given how part of the room was a mess of scattered clothes and weapon mods, while directly across from it was a neat and orderly dresser, a small bonsai tree sitting peacefully atop it. The oddest part, to Blake at least, were the beds. On one side of the room, two of the beds had been shoved against the wall in a line, while on the other, the remaining beds had been pushed together, forming one large one.

It was on this double sized bed that Velvet sat, wearing a simple outfit of her usual pants and a white t-shirt. She smiled as they walked in, her long rabbit ears standing high on her head. "Blake. Weiss. Thank you for coming."

Blake smiled at her, a little bit of her tension bleeding away at Velvet's kindness. "You're welcome." She turned slightly as Coco close the door behind them, walking over to be by Velvet's side. "Are you both ready?"

Coco's smile grew a little wider. "As we'll ever be. We asked Yatsu and Fox to give us the room for a few hours, so they took off to see a movie. We shouldn't have any kind of distraction for a while."

Blake nodded, but Weiss couldn't help but voice a question. "Do they know that you're doing this tonight?"

Coco gave her a calculating look, smile still in place, but Velvet answered before she could, shooting her partner a quick warning look. "They do. They wished us luck and gave us our privacy."

Weiss gave a small nod, her main question appeased. She looked to Blake, waiting for a queue as what to do next. Unfortunately, Blake was just as lost. Before an awkward silence could settle in, she asked the Mates-to-be, "How exactly do you want to go about this?"

Coco and Velvet shared a brief look before the rabbit Faunus pushed herself off the bed. "However you and Weiss think is best," Velvet answered. "But, before that…" she then turned to Coco, crossing her arms as her long ears fell down her back. " _Coco_ …?"

As Blake and Weiss looked on in confusion, Coco met Velvet's pout with a blank stare. She held it for a few brief seconds, before huffing in defeat, rolling her eyes as she did. "Weiss."

Said girl jumped slightly at the sudden call of her name. She shrank under Coco's brown eyes, looking at her expectedly. "Y-Yes?"

Coco's lips pulled up slightly, apparently finding Weiss' nervousness amusing. Her grin disappeared when Velvet's pout doubled. Sighing again, she said to Weiss, "Look… I owe you an apology."

Weiss blinked, her brow raising in surprise. "What for?"

"For being so rude to you earlier this week. It was uncalled for, and I'm sorry."

Weiss just stared at her for a moment, and Blake smiled at the _Shock_ and _Gratefulness_ coming off of her. Her cheeks pinking, Weiss gave a small smile back. "Coco… thank you, but you don't have to apologize. All things considered, I _did_ kind of deserve it those first few months."

Coco just grinned, giving a small nod. "Yeah, well, that was then, this is now. And you don't deserve that now. Besides _, someone_ ," she shot an amused glare towards Velvet, which was met with a defiant pout. "... thought I was a little too tough on you.". Her smirk then lessened, becoming a genuine smile. "For what it's worth, I _am_ sorry. The fact you're even here helping us tonight proves just how wrong I was."

Face still reddening under the unexpected praise, Weiss beamed back. "Well… apology accepted then."

Coco nodded in satisfaction, looking back to Velvet. The Rabbit Faunus rolled her eyes slightly, but still gave her a small smile and a thumbs up. Chuckling lightly, she turned her attention back to Weiss. "Okay, if we're through with the mushy stuff… how do we do this, Weiss?"

Weiss started in surprise, only to blink down at the binder and book still clutched against her chest. "O-Oh! Yes! Right, we, um…" She cleared her throat awkwardly, trying to ignore the _Amusement_ and _Endearment_ she was feeling from Blake as the cat-Faunus watched her stutter. Getting her bearings, she walked over to what she assumed was Coco's desk, given the golden aviators folded atop it. She put down the binder and book, opening both to the proper pages.

"I read back through the story we used when we Mated," She explained. "And I tried to find as much about Faunus Mating as I could online. Honestly," She sent an apologetic look towards Velvet and Coco. "There wasn't much new I could find. A few forums and theories, but I couldn't find anyone who said they'd actually done what we'd done."

Velvet's ears wilted as Coco frowned, crossing her arms. "That going to be a problem?"

Weiss smiled in reassurance. "I don't think so. The fact that we were able to give Blake a Mark is proof enough that it should work for you two. I was just hoping for some actual facts to back us up."

Velvet grinned back at her, ears perking back up. "It's fine, Weiss. We appreciate you taking the time to check anyway."

Coco nodded in agreement, then asked, "So… what _do_ we do?"

Weiss opened her mouth to speak, but stopped short. She looked to Blake, a question in her eyes that was spoken through the Link. _Nervous?_

Blake almost laughed, giving a slight nod. _Nervous. Prepared._

Weiss let out a short breath, turning her attention back to the upperclassmen. "Well, um...it's pretty straightforward." Hoping to stave off her awkwardness, she tried to emulate her sister, acting as if she was giving a lesson. "Blake will focus her aura and try to give Velvet a Mark. Velvet's aura will reject Blake's, and you'll start giving her your aura before her's heals the bite."

Coco hummed, looking uncomfortable at the words 'Blake', 'Velvet', and 'bite'. "Seems simple," She eventually said, Velvet nodding in agreement.

Weiss rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "It is, but… there may be one issue." At the duos questioning looks, she tried to explain. "There _was_ something that has me a little worried. There's a major difference between what our team did, and what we're about to try here."

"And that is?" Velvet questioned.

Weiss bit her lip. "Blake's aura. When we gave her a Mark through her old one, the old Mark was long dead. The aura from Blake's last… _relationship_ ," She couldn't help but stumble over her phrasing, trying to find a word to say that wouldn't make her blood boil. "... it had burned out a long time ago. _This_ time, the Mark will be fresh, and filled with Aura. Aura that Velvet's will outright reject. From what I can tell, when that happens, it could be… painful."

In an instant, Coco's expression changed from worried to defensive. Taking a step closer to Velvet, she asked, "How _'painful'_?"

Weiss gulped at her intense stare. "I-It's something the original story mentioned. The Faunus receiving the Mark described the helper's aura as… burning."

Coco's eyes shot wide, shining with concern. She hesitantly looked to her partner. "Vel…"

"Hold on," Velvet stopped her, her tone gentle as she placed a hand on Coco's arm. Her expression rather blank, she asked Weiss, "But it _did_ work… right?"

Weiss hesitated, looking to Blake for help. Blake gave her an encouraging nod, even as Weiss could feel her girlfriend's own _Hesitance_ in the motion. Meeting Velvet's brown eyes, strong and hopeful, she answered honestly. "... according to the story, yes. Before the helper's aura was completely rejected, the prospective Mate," She nodded slightly towards Coco. "Moved in and started pouring their aura into the Mark. The burning feeling stopped and the Marks formed like they would have normally."

Velvet hummed to herself, thinking. Her brow scrunched in determination, and she nodded sharply. "Okay then. Let's do it."

"Velvet, just wait a second…" Coco looked Velvet right in the eyes, concern plain on her face.

"It's fine," Velvet assured her, giving her partner's arm a small squeeze. "We've been talking about this all week."

"But if it's going to hurt you…"

"Coco…" Velvet frowned at her girlfriend, ears dipping as she struggled for the proper words. After a few seconds, they popped back up, her eyes sparkling. "Blake!"

Blake and Weiss jumped at the sudden shout, Blake's cat ears shooting high. "What?"

"Tell me what being Mated is like." At Blake's startled look, Velvet went on. "Tell me what it feels like. Why it's worth it."

A stunned silence came over the room as Blake gaped at Velvet. Coco looked between the two, concern and confusion warring on her face as she put her other hand over Velvet's. Weiss, the only one privy to the numerous conflicting feelings swirling inside Blake and the moment, watched Blake's face, curious about the answer herself.

After a few awkward seconds passed, Blake slowly closed her mouth, frowning lightly as she thought. She knew exactly how being Mated felt, how much joy it had brought her, but putting it into words…

"I'm… complete."

The words slipped past her lips without her even noticing, until she saw the looks of the girls around her. Coco's brow rose in surprise, while a small smile formed on Velvet's lips, growing larger by the second. Blake glanced towards Weiss, warmth rushing to her face at the surprised look the heiress had. It wasn't until Velvet gave her an encouraging nod that she went on, trying to explain.

"Looking back, it's like there was… not something missing, exactly. More like… there was _less_ to me before. Like I was… smaller, but didn't notice it. But now…" A soft smile graced her lips. "There's really no way to explain it. There's a piece of Ruby, Yang, and Weiss inside me now, and… I'm not alone. There's always this feeling that, no matter what, I'm… wanted. Cared for. And… there's this… this _well_ of strength inside me that wasn't there before. Like I always have someone at my back, always supporting me. Maybe completed isn't the right word. It's more like…" She laughed softly. "Well, that's just it. I'm… _more_."

Another silence fell. Looking back to Weiss, Blake felt her heart skip a beat. Weiss was blushing full force, but it wasn't embarrassment on her face. The only word she could use to describe the small smile on the heiress' face was tender.

Coco watched in stunned awe as a look passed between the two underclassmen, one filled with just as much feeling and passion as Blake's little speech. She only turned away when she felt Velvet's eyes on her, that gentle smile back on her lips.

" _That's_ what I want for us." She whispered, holding tight to Coco's arm. "I can handle a little pain if it means we can be like that."

Coco looked at Velvet, her lips skewed in indecision. It wasn't much longer before she let out a deep sigh, a half-smile forming on her lips. "Okay," She murmured softly.

Velvet beamed back at her, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "Thank you." With a steadying breath, she turned. "Blake? We're ready."

Pulled from their brief moment, Blake and Weiss jolted back to attention. Seeing the determined look on Velvet's face, the sharp nod from Coco, made Blake take a calming breath. With a nervous smile, Blake nodded back. "Okay, if you're sure. Weiss, could you walk us through?"

Fighting valiantly against the warmth in her cheeks, Weiss took a step forward, addressing all in the room. "Okay. Well, it's rather straightforward, to be honest. Blake will focus her aura and make the bite. Like I said, Velvet will likely feel some kind of burning sensation from Blake's aura. Once Blake pulls away, Coco, you have to take her place before Velvet's aura heals the bite. Start pouring your aura into the Mark and… that should be it."

Coco nodded slowly, hesitance clear in her eyes. "Okay… so, do I bite Velvet too, or…?"

"You could," Weiss said, skimming through her binder. "Or just place your hand over the bite. It doesn't really matter, so long as you're channeling your aura through whatever's making contact. Focus on how you feel about Velvet, why you want to be her Mate. Your aura should do the rest."

"And I do the same… right?" Velvet asked.

Weiss pursed her lips. "If you're attempting a second-stage Mate's Mark? Yes. Once Coco switches places with Blake, you should mirror her. Then you both just keep sharing aura until… well…" She gave Blake a look.

"Until Velvet says to stop," Blake continued, taking over where Weiss left off. At the duo's confused look, Blake explained. "After a certain point, you get this feeling, like a pulse through your aura, letting you know that you've given each other enough. It's a Faunus thing, I think. I felt it when we were making our Mark, but Weiss, Ruby, and Yang didn't."

Velvet nodded in understanding, Coco doing the same a moment later. Taking a deep breath, Velvet took a step towards Blake.

Blake swallowed nervously. "Where exactly…?"

Velvet pulled the collar of her t-shirt aside, tapping a spot on her neck just above her collarbone. Blake met her eyes, the two Faunus sharing a silent conversation. With only the slightest dip of her head, Blake put a steadying hand on Velvet's shoulder and leaned in.

Velvet let out a sharp hiss as Blake bit down. She took a calming breath, relaxing slightly as the seconds ticked by. Coco and Weiss looked on anxiously, waiting for a sign of something happening, good or bad. It came, unfortunately, in the form of a pained yelp.

"Velvet?" Coco was at her girlfriend's side in an instant, hovering close yet afraid to disturb the Faunus.

"I-I'm fine!" Velvet squeaked, her voice rising to a high pitch. Her shoulders tensed, eyes squeezing shut in obvious pain. "I'm okay, just…. Weiss was right. It burns." She inhaled sharply, her long rabbit ears falling down her back. "I-It burns a _lot_."

As if responding to her distress, Blake's cat ears pinned down against her skull, a muffled mewling sound coming from the back of her throat as her eyes slammed shut as well. Weiss moved without thinking, gently pressing a hand to the small of Blake's back.

Taking that as a cue she could safely touch her partner, Coco wrapped her hand around Velvet's. Velvet reacted instantly, grasping Coco's hand and squeezing it almost painfully tight.

Coco sent Weiss a helpless look. "How long do they have to do this?"

Weiss could only sigh, no less anxious. "Until Blake gives enough aura to keep the bite open. Otherwise, it'll heal before you can take her place."

Coco grimaced, but said no more, turning her full attention to Velvet's pained face.

Seconds felt like minutes as they ticked by, the room silent save for Velvet's ragged breathing. Weiss could Feel Blake's emotions radiating out, and it was almost scary how close they matched up with Weiss' own thoughts. _Dread_ that this whole process wouldn't work. _Remorse_ for the pain Velvet was going through. _Determination,_ that they would succeed in helping their friend. In the back of Weiss' mind, she could sense a trickle of warmth and electricity, as their missing halves were no doubt sharing their worry across the school.

It came as a relief when Blake's ears shot up, her eyes flying open. Across the Link, Weiss felt a sudden odd mixture of _Success_ and _Panic_.

"Coco!" She whisper-shouted, making the upperclassmen jump. When she turned, worry in her eyes, Weiss told her, "Blake's about to pull away."

With wide eyes, Coco swallowed thickly. A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead as she gave a sharp nod. An instant later, her right arm started to flicker as she focused her aura, wreathed in a glow of deep gold.

With a gasp, Blake practically leapt away from Velvet, Weiss pulling her back in the same motion. Velvet let out a shrill cry, her eyes going wide. Weiss only caught a brief glimpse of the bite, a thin trail of blood trickling from the teeth marks, violet mixing with the bright red, before Coco moved.

Coco quickly covered the wound with her glowing hand, running her thumb across Velvet's cheek as she did so. "Vel?" She asked faintly. "You- whoa!"

Velvet surprised her by leaning forward, wrapping her left arm around Coco's neck until her hand landed over her fledgling Mark, already glowing with brown aura. The rabbit Faunus ducked her head, pressing her forehead into the crook of Coco's neck.

Coco stood there, stunned, before relaxing into her girlfriend's hold. She smiled softly, resting her chin on Velvet's head, right between her hanging ears. "It's okay, Vel," She murmured, leaning against the smaller girl. "Almost there."

Velvet gave a muffled hum in reply.

Off to the side, Weiss put her arm around Blake's shoulders, frightened to realize her Mate was trembling. "Blake?" She whispered. "What's wrong?"

Blake shuddered, wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket. "N-Nothing. I-I'm fine."

Weiss scowled, her concern shining in her eyes. "You are not fine, you're _shaking_."

Still wiping at her mouth, forming pink streaks on the white fabric of her sleeve, Blake took a shuddering breath. She met Weiss' eyes, and the heiress felt her heart clench at the sheen of tears threatening to spill from her golden orbs. "I… I could F-Feel her for a second there." Weiss' mouth fell open in shock, and Blake swallowed thickly. "I… I was hurting her."

 _Guilt_ washed over Weiss in waves, making her chest tighten. She pulled Blake closer, a hand unconsciously reaching up to run through her black hair. "It's okay, Blake." She whispered soothingly. "We all knew that would happen."

"I know. It just…" Blake trailed off, leaning into Weiss' touch. She started purring moments later, though Weiss had a sinking feeling it wasn't because she was happy. The heiress just held her tighter.

It was a full five minutes before anybody moved, as each pair of human and Faunus held each other. The silence was broken, once again, by Velvet sucking in a sudden breath, drawing everyone's attention,

Coco stiffened at the sound, looking down at her girlfriend with worry. "Velvet?"

Slowly, almost timidly, Velvet pulled away from Coco. Her head dipped up hesitantly, her deep brown eyes wide with shock.

"What?" Coco asked, griping Velvet's hand tighter. "What is it?"

Velvet just stared. Her eyes narrowed for a brief moment, only to widen even further than before. "I…" Her voice caught in her throat, thick with emotion. "I can _Feel_ you."

Coco blinked at her. Then her own eyes widened. Hesitantly, their gaze moved from each other's eyes to a spot just above the other's collarbone. Coco carefully turned over her hand, feeling Velvet do the same. They gasped, and Weiss and Blake craned their necks to see.

On Velvet's neck, the bite mark had completely healed. In its place, still glowing with gold and brown aura, sat the image of a pair of five-petaled flowers, mirroring each other and sharing a stem. The petals were thick and sharp, thin filaments rising from the middle of each flower. Despite their mirrored positions and similar looks, each was distinct. The gold one was made of solid, straight lines, while the brown one was wispy, almost like an outline. On Coco's neck, the same image showed proudly against her skin.

Tears glimmered in the corner of Velvet's eyes as she looked into Coco's. Her voice came out as little more than a breath, filled with disbelief. "It… it worked."

A stunned laugh burst from Coco's lips, her voice no less shaky. "Y-Yeah. It did."

"It worked." The wetness streaking down Velvet's face was completely overshadowed by the beaming smile forming on her lips, her ears shooting as high as they could go. "It worked!" With a joyful shout, she surged forward, crashing her lips against Coco's. The taller girl squeaked in surprise, only to immediately melt into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Velvet.

Weiss smiled at the sight, even as her cheeks warmed at the intimate display. She shared a look with Blake, the cat-Faunus having the same wide grin and blush. "Maybe we should let them have their moment," she whispered to her after a full minute had ticked by, the newly Mated couple not looking to let each other go anytime soon.

Blake nodded in agreement, gently pulling away from Weiss' grasp. Weiss gathered up her books, her smile widening at her work having paid off in the best way possible. With one last look at the Mates, they quietly made their way to the door.

"Hey!"

Blake and Weiss jumped at the booming yell, spinning around in surprise.

Coco and Velvet, still holding each other, had broken away from their kiss to turn towards the retreating pair. Both were slightly red-faced, Velvet beaming widely at them. Coco's confident smirk was back in full force, though the way her eyes glistened somewhat ruined the effect. "Where do you two think you're going?"

Blake and Weiss glanced awkwardly at each other, unsure what to say.

Velvet let out a giggle at their confusion. She shot Coco a bright-eyed look. Coco grinned back, her arms releasing her new Mate.

With deceptive speed, Velvet shot across the room and threw each of her arms around Blake and Weiss' shoulders. The younger girls wheezed as they were pulled into a shockingly strong hug.

"Thank you!" Velvet was practically bouncing in place as her hold tightened. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Struggling for breath (and having the oddest sense of Déjà vu), Weiss rasped out, "Y-You're welcome."

"Hap… Happy to help." Blake gasped as well.

After squeezing the life out of them for half a minute, Velvet released them, Coco chuckling behind her. Getting their bearings back, Blake and Weiss returned the beaming smile Velvet gave them, until Blake let her's slip.

Cat-ears dipping, Blake's shoulders slumped. Weiss could Feel her _Guilt_ rising again. "Velvet…" Blake started. "I-I'm sorry I-"

"Don't you even," Velvet stopped her, pushing a finger at Blake's nose, making her go cross-eyed trying to look at it. Weiss found it amusing how much the rabbit-Faunus' stern pout reminded her so much of a certain speedster. "I said I could take a little pain for this, and it worked! And I… you…" Her words failing her, Velvet settled for glomping Blake again in another bone-crushing hug. "Thank _youuuu_!"

Blake wheezed at her grip, her arms hanging out awkwardly. She glanced up timidly at Coco, as if asking for permission. Coco just laughed, beaming. Taking that as an okay, Blake smiled awkwardly at her, hugging Velvet back.

Weiss just watched, letting Blake's _Happiness_ and _Pride_ wash over her, mixing with her own. Then, to her utter shock, she was suddenly pulled into a gentle hug from Coco.

"Seriously," The older girl muttered, giving Weiss the most honest smile she'd received from her. "You didn't have to do this. Thank you, _so_ much."

Warmth filled Weiss' chest, and could feel it start rising to her face. "I just wanted to help."

Coco chuckled. "I know. You're a good friend."

For the whole rest of the day, Weiss couldn't stop smiling.

* * *

 **A/n: I saw Black Panther. Specifically, I saw Black Panther's** _ **suit,**_ **what it could do, and was instantly reminded of a certain blonde brawler.**

 **I gots ideas. I gots** _ **lots**_ **of ideas.**

 **One thing I didn't have a lot of ideas for has the Crosshares Mark. I thought about trying to combine their two symbols somehow, but that just seems repetitive of the RWBY Mark (Plus, how the heck do you combine a set of crosshairs with a stitched up heart?) I think I did a decent job, though, if a little silly. The flower I chose? It's coffee plant flower.**

 **Yes, really.**

 **This thing took three weeks to get to this point, so we'll catch up with Raven and Roman next chapter. It's already half-written, so... See ya then!**


	52. Chapter 52: Stoke

**Chapter 52: Stoke**

 **Downtown Vale, Torchwick's Safehouse**

" _Okay, so the cameras are there and the vents are along this wall… Gaurds'll swap out at quarter till, so I go north… no, east. Yeah, less foot traffic along the east side. Then…"_

Neo watched from her seat at the kitchen counter as Roman paced in front of his large dry erase board. Various pictures and blueprints were hung haphazardly all over its white surface, little notes scattered around each one, written in red marker. Roman kept mumbling to himself as he paced, adding and erasing notes every few seconds.

It had annoyed her to no end when he asked her to go bring the damn board to their rundown little apartment, which had been their impromptu home for the past week. Sneaking an object that bulky and awkward across the city had been a complete slog, and she made sure Roman knew her feelings on the matter quite clear. Though, she did have to grudgingly agree with his logic. He couldn't exactly go back to the warehouse and get it himself, give the utter _insanity_ he had dedicated himself to.

He was turning on the White Fang. Not just betraying them. Actively plotting out the best way to put a bullet into Taurus' skull. And it wasn't just that. Neo had been involved with this twisted operation long enough to know that, whatever Cinder's end goal was, Taurus and the Fang were an integral part of her plans. If Taurus went down, Cinder was going to lay literal hellfire down upon Roman.

And the most bizarre part of the entire thing was that, Roman knew. For all his eccentricities, Roman was a smart man. He _had_ to know just how badly this was going to end for him. Between Cinder, the White Fang, and possibly Taurus himself if the 'just-shoot-him' plan didn't work, everything Roman had worked towards the last few years was about to go up in flames. Yes, he could make a lot of money reselling the equipment he'd already given the White Fang (assuming he could actually get any of it without getting shot, sliced, and diced a thousand times doing it), but it would be a fair less then he made right now, doing what Cinder said. If he even lived that long.

Yet, here he was, plotting his own demise. Why?

Because he wanted to keep a group of teenage girls from dying, despite already trying to kill them himself.

Neo pouted, sighing deeply as she focused back on her scroll. She'd been keeping an eye on the news sites all week long, listening to people talk and theorize about Roman's little rampage the previous weekend. They'd been all over the story at the beginning of the week trying to figure out what exactly happened besides 'Mech-Wielding Madman Wrecks Freeway', but they were already petering out. With no deaths and the people hurt on their way to recovery (even the one guy in a coma had woken up by Tuesday), people were losing interest. There were only so many times the news anchors could say 'No leads on Roman Torchwick have been found', before they started getting repetitive.

Growing bored of the news anchors inane chatter ( _Yes, the Vytal Festival is happening next month. Let's go watch a bunch of teenagers kick the crap out of each other. Woohoo…_ ), Neo let her eyes drift around the stark apartment. Given just how little was actually in it, her eyes turned almost instantly to the only piece of new furniture the place had seen in decades: a folded out cot in the corner of the room, a small travel bag sitting at its foot.

Neo frowned at the reminder of their 'guest'. To her utter shock, Roman had offered to share their semi-safe space with the strange woman who had literally appeared from thin air. No hesitation, not even a real damn question. All it took was him asking where she was staying and receiving no answer, and the next thing she knew, Neo was sharing space with the most terrifying woman she'd ever met.

Okay, perhaps that was _slightly_ harsh. Raven was almost never in the apartment, usually out in Vale 'patrolling'. And even when she was, Raven hadn't really been mean or anything. The few times she'd spoken to her, Raven had been polite, if blunt. She hadn't even commented on her disability, save for yelling at Roman for making a joke of it (which went a long way towards gaining her good faith). There was just something… unsettling about her. It was a little like how Cinder made her feel. But unlike Cinder, who wore her emotions on her sleeve, Raven was reserved, not showing anything.

Unless she was speaking to Roman. Then things got… weird.

Neo had known Roman a long time and had seen him interact with all manner of people. His slyness when thought he was being clever. His exaggerated smarminess when he got the better of someone else. The sheer exasperation he exuded when he was convinced everyone around him was an idiot. She'd seen him act in all kinds of ways she'd just come to accept as 'Roman'.

But with Raven, he did none of that. Outside of that initial conversation, they never yelled, never truly angered each other. No, instead, Neo was treated to something entirely new from her semi-permanent employer. When Roman and Raven butted heads, they didn't fight.

They _bickered_.

For all the sense of danger Raven gave off, Roman seemed completely immune to it. Instead, he took every chance he got to rib into Raven about the stupidest things, from taunting her fighting skills, her social skills, to something about 'molting.' Yeah, that last one still made no sense to her.

And yet, miraculously, despite how very, _very_ successful Roman was at pissing Raven off, never once did they come to blows. Instead, Raven would fire right back, either by defending herself or throwing something equally moronic back in his face. Cue an hour, bare minimum, of them going back and forth, constantly laying into each other over a never-ending supply of useless topics.

The weirdest part was what always happened after. The fight(?) would always end with Raven throwing her hands up and storming off via her own personal red storm cloud. Roman would just watch her leave with a satisfied smirk, then keep smiling for the whole rest of the day. Raven would eventually return, and the two acted like nothing happened. At least, until it all happened again.

 _It's almost like they_ enjoy _getting on each other's nerves._

Neo bit back a groan, folding her arms on the counter and putting her head down. She'd given up trying to make sense of anything after the first day, resigning herself to just putting up with this new insanity until she could return to their regular insanity.

As if to taunt her at just how unlikely _that_ was, one of Raven's storm clouds phased into existence at just that moment, just above the couch.

Neo lifted her head, her shoulders stiffening. She'd grown used enough to Raven's Semblance that she didn't jump every time her portals appeared, but they still unsettled her. Every time one formed, the air seemed to charge with electricity, as if lightning was about to strike. However, unlike the last few times she'd watched one appear, this one seemed… smaller.

Neo frowned at that. _Huh… that's odd. I wonder why-_

Her thoughts ended when a small black blur shot out of the portal. The storm cloud faded away, and as Neo focused on the blur, she quickly made out the shape of wings and a beak.

 _...what?_ Neo tilted her head as she watched the black bird circle the living room.

Roman, only just then taking his eyes off his board, looked up at the bird as it landed on the couch.. He grinned at it in bemusement, checking his watch. "That was quick. You were only gone an hour."

Neo was even more confused, wondering why Roman was talking to a _bird…_ when the bird suddenly started to vibrate, it's form blurring and stretching. Seconds later, Raven sat where the bird once was, pulling her mask off to show her wide red eyes.

 _...O-kayyy…_ Neo thought, blinking rapidly. _That's new. At least the molting crack makes more sense now._

Raven didn't answer, instead just throwing her head back to stare at the ceiling. Roman's brows pulled together, his grin slipping. "The Rosebuds okay?"

Raven let out a huff of a laugh, filled with shock and disbelief. "Oh, they're _fine_. They're…" She covered her face with her hand, groaning. "I just… I had to get out of there."

"What? Get a cramp perching on their windowsill?" Roman said, his voice going back to sly mocking in an instant.

Raven didn't take the bait, just letting out another slow breath.

Getting no reaction from her, Roman frowned, stepping away from his board to face her fully. "Okay, I'll bite: What the hell happened?"

There was a short moment where Neo thought Raven would just ignore him, but it passed when Raven let her hand slip down her face. She gave Roman a sidelong look, sighing in resignation. "Nothing _happened_. When I got to the window, Ruby and Yang were by themselves, talking to each other. I only listened for a few minutes before it started getting... awkward."

Roman raised a confused eyebrow. "Awkward how?"

Raven turned her head back towards the ceiling and… okay, Neo had to be seeing things. Raven's face was turning _pink_. "They were discussing how they were going to be... _intimate,_ as a group."

Roman blinked. He looked off to the side, then gave Raven a 'did I hear that right?' look. "By intimate, do you mean…?" The glowing glare she gave him was all the answer he needed. "Yeah, stupid question… wait…"

Roman paused, eyes narrowing in thought. Then his face screwed up, eyes tightening in apprehension. "If those two were the only ones talkin'... they ain't…?"

"No!" Raven sat up straight, quickly shouting before any thoughts of any kind could dwell. (Which Neo was thankful for, as she was suddenly aware of how much _her_ face blazed.) "No, thank the gods, _no_. I think that's actually why they were talking. They were trying to work out how to avoid…" She buried her face in her hands, a mortified blush all over her face. "Gods, I did not need to hear that. Seriously, _sharing_ a relationship?"

She pulled her head up, her expression a mixture of exasperation and regret. "Why can't anything in this family be normal?" Neo wasn't sure if she was asking Roman or herself.

Roman snorted, answering anyway as he went back to his board. "Normal is for the weak." He could evidently feel the annoyed glare Raven sent his way, as he looked back with a raised eyebrow, challenging. "C'mon, Rea, let's be real here. Between Silver Eyes mom, Bandit Queen mom, bad luck uncle, and conman uncle, not to mention Taiyang 'wouldn't-hurt-a-fly-but-can-crush-a-freaking-mountain-with-his- _pinky-_ anyway _'_ Xiao-Long…" He laughed to himself, shaking his head in bemusement. "Even if everything had gone all sunshine and rainbows for us, those kids were doomed to weirdness from day one."

Raven glowered at him, before looking off out the window. " _Tch_."

Roman chuckled, making another note on his board, "That's what I thought."

As the pair fell back into comfortable silence, Neo shook her head, rolling her eyes. She had officially given up trying to understand how the hell these two worked. She went back to her scroll, deciding to just fill the time streaming TV shows.

A few minutes past, before Raven started to fidget. The woman obviously was not used to sitting still. She looked back towards Roman, who was engrossed in his planning. "So," she asked. "How far are we on this plan?"

Roman scoffed lightly, looking at her in mock-offense. "Uh, _we_ haven't gone anywhere with the plan. _I_ , however, almost have everything figured out."

Raven rolled her eyes at his dramatics. "When do you think Taurus will call?"

Roman shrugged. "Before Monday. Anything more than that, I don't have a clue." He paused a moment, then asked, "Think they know that Taurus is gunning for them?"

Raven stiffened, her shoulders tensing half-way through putting them behind her head. She finished the motion like nothing happened, but there was a new intensity in her eyes. "No," She said bluntly. "Their biggest worries right now are combat training and figuring out who goes where when the lights go out."

Roman resisted the urge to snort, rolling his eyes instead. "Well, it'll be one heck of a surprise then." He then took a deep breath. His eyes turned towards the ceiling, something Neo had come to recognize as him about to do something he knew was a mistake. "Sure would be nice if we could just, oh, I don't know. Warn them? Give'em a scroll call, like semi-normal people?"

In an instant, Raven's eyes bored into Roman. "Roman…" She droned warningly.

But Roman met her gaze head-on, green eyes burning. "Well, we need to do something!"

"We _are_. We just have to take down Taurus…"

"And if we can't?"

Raven jerked back like she'd been slapped, and Neo couldn't blame her. She felt the same way, staring at Roman with open-mouthed shock. Roman normally oozed confidence to the point of stupidity. But now... _D-Did… Is he suggesting that…_

"You don't think we can do this." It was a statement more than a question., Raven's voice faint as she stared up at Roman.

"Oh, we can definitely do this," Roman assured, a dangerous glint in his eye. "If everything goes perfectly." He threw his arms up above his head, grinning maniacally. "But, when it comes to us, when does _anything_ go perfectly?"

Raven goggled at him. In the next second, she was up on her feet, nose to nose with Roman as she yelled, "Are you _kidding me_!? Why… If you don't think we can win, why are you even doing this?!"

"Well, I don't have much other choice, now do I?"

Raven's head jerked back, the glow in her eyes fading as they widened. "What?

Roman gave her a flat stare, like she was being purposefully obtuse. "C'mon, Rea, you know me. If this was for any other reason, I'd be running right now. I'd be halfway to Vacuo with every Lien I have, ready to spend as long as I could lazing on a beach, forgetting about this whole mess." He briefly gazed off into the distance, no doubt imaging such a scenario. He frowned deeply seconds later. "But, seeing's how I'd like Red and Sunshine to live long enough to deal with this craptastic world of ours, that's not an option.

"So, what's our backup plan? 'Cause, I hate to admit it, like, _really_ hate to admit it, but unless we get lucky with my 'shoot-him-in-the-back' idea, were gonna have to deal with him and at least a hundred of his White Fang lackeys. A hundred would-be Hunters versus just the two of us. How do you think that's gonna end?"

Raven bristled at his condescending tone, unwilling to back down. "What about Neo? Your crew?"

Roman scoffed, rolling his eyes. "My crew jumped ship once I started working with the White Fang. Something about being criminals, not terrorists." He waved a hand flippantly, like he barely cared that his crew had left him. "Wouldn't matter anyway. They were only as loyal as their pockets were full. And considering how pissed my employer is after Sunshine obliterated our mech, I've got nothing to offer them."

Much as Neo hated to admit it, Roman wasn't wrong. The old crew were kind of spinless unless a stack of Lien was thrown in their faces.

"Same with Neo."

Neo blinked, her eyes shifting between brown and pink at the sudden call of her name. Then Roman's words really sank in. She looked at him with something akin to disbelief, then scowled. She got up from the counter.

Roman took no notice. "So right now, we either need to warn the girls, or find someone else that- _Gah!_ "

Raven jerked out of the way as Roman stumbled forward, something hard and heavy whacking him across the back of his head. Gripping his head in pain, he spun around, turning an angry glare on the offender. "Neo, what the hell?!"

Neo, still holding her parasol in a tight grip, crossed her arms and glared right back at him. Raven's brow rose in mild surprise, both at the girl's sudden attack and the odd, almost pained look on her face.

Roman blinked at her, then sighed. "Look, kid, I'm sorry. I just don't have the cash to- _youch_! Will you stop that?!"

Neo reared her arm back again, her eyes blazing with her strongest 'Just-how-stupid-are-you?' glare. Without breaking eye contact, she reached into her jacket and pulled out a large yellow envelope. Scowling, she threw it right at Roman's head.

It bounced off Roman's nose, eliciting a yelp from the man before he fumbled to catch it. A few loose Lien notes fell out of the envelope's opening. He stared down the money in confusion, his eyes bouncing between it and Neo. "Uh…?"

Off to the side, Raven's eyes narrowed as she analyzed the two criminals. After a tense minute, she chuckled lightly. "I think she's saying she doesn't care about the money."

Neo pursed her lips, still looking into Roman's eyes as she gestured wildly to Raven with both arms. She gave a nod so sharp her whole body shook.

Again, Roman could only blink. He looked from the money, to Neo, then to Raven, and then back to the money. He cycled like that for a moment before giving Neo a skeptical look, lightly asking, "Really?"

In response, Neo's face contorted with fresh anger as she raised her parasol over her head.

Roman threw his hands up in an instant, backing away from the small teen in mock-fright. "Okay! Dumb question! Got it!" Seeing Neo lower her arms, seemingly placated, he still asked, "But you do realize we're probably going to die, right? Pretty sucky mission to be throwing me a freebie."

Neo just rolled her eyes, resting her parasol over her shoulder.

"Hmm…" Roman hummed to himself, not sure what to say. "Well… thanks… I guess," He eventually replied, Raven smothering a chuckle at his awkwardness.

The quiet laugh brought his attention back to her, however, and he wasted no time going back on the offensive. "Still, even with Neo, that sits our chances at one-in-three. That's _not_ counting Taurus himself, mind you." He shook his head as he thought back. "I've seen him fight, Rea. I've never seen anyone get back up when he puts them down."

Raven scowled, unwilling to give in. "We'll think of something."

At that, Roman smirked. "Well, lucky for you, I already did." At her cautious curiosity, he continued. "Well, I just figured, if you're not willing to call the girls, how about you call the guys?"

There was a pregnant pause as Raven went from confused to pure disbelief. He whole body seemed to slump as she gave a weak scoff. "You... you're not serious."

"Much as it pains me, yes. Yes, I am. We need help, Rea, even if it's only as a backup plan." When Raven just kept staring, he upped the ante. "Either you call them, or I will."

Raven gave a miniscule flinch, then narrowed her eyes, sneering. "You're bluffing. You said it yourself, Tai and Qrow are pissed at you."

To her consternation, Roman just shot her that insufferably smug smirk. "Oh, I know they're gonna kick my ass. But the thing is, knowing what I do about the White Fang, I'd rather take a beating from those two then get annihilated by whatever Taurus throws at us."

Raven balled her fists, her shoulders hunching. "You wouldn't."

In response, Roman pulled out his scroll. His smirk was still in place, but there was a certain… _sharpness_ in his eyes that put Neo on edge. "Try me."

Raven said nothing, staring Roman down with her blazing gaze. Tense seconds ticked by as Neo looked between the two, wringing her parasol in her hands. Was this the big blowout she'd been expecting? And if so… what should she do? Fight Raven? Grab Roman and run?

To her eternal relief, Neo never had to figure it out. Raven finally broke eye contact, her eyes still burning as she glared down at the carpet. "You really think we need their help?"

Roman grinned widely, Neo recognizing it as his 'I-already-won-you-just-don't-know-it-yet' smile. "Not unless you've got some other badass' we can get here at a moment's notice." Then he paused, a thought striking him. "Actually, do you? 'Cause, if we could get some of the clan over here…"

"I haven't bonded with any of them," Raven snapped, in a tone that all but screamed 'leave it.'

Miraculously, Roman did. "Then, yeah, we need them."

Raven glared at the floor. At this rate, Neo was waiting for it to burst into flames. "...they're not going to happy." She muttered, mostly to herself.

Roman answered anyway, scoffing. "When are they ever? Though, I would like to ask, how much more pissed do you think they'd be if we didn't tell them the Rosebuds were in mortal peril?" Raven's brief snort answered that for him. Roman just grinned even wider. "So, you calling, or should I?"

Raven looked back up at him, angry red meeting amused green. Her eyes flicked down towards the scroll in his hand, glaring at it with such intensity Neo thought it would start melting any second.

With a disgusted groan, Raven lunged out, snatching the scroll out of Roman's outstretched hand. Roman smirked in victory as Raven turned on her heel, stalking back to the couch. He went back to his board, in a poor attempt to give her some privacy.

When a few minutes had passed without Raven making the call, Roman gave a beleaguered sigh, rolling his eyes. "So…" He said loudly, turning back to see Raven scowling at the scroll in her hand. "Which one you calling?"

Raven shot him a look of pure annoyance, before staring back down at the scroll. "Qrow." She said after a moment's thought. "Tai would start charging over before he heard everything."

Roman nodded. "Good call. Though, given it's a day that ends in 'Y', Bird Brain's probably drunk off his ass by now."

Raven scoffs, not disagreeing. She gave the scroll a long look, then took a deep breath. She tapped the scroll a few times, then put it to her ear. She gave Roman one last glare as she did so, a hint of a grin on her lips. "First chance I get, I'm throwing you under the bus."

Roman smirks at his board. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't."

Raven huffed a quiet laugh. Her humor quickly fled as she focused on the scroll. "Qrow? It's me…" She rolled her eyes, shooting Roman a look. Roman raised a questioning eyebrow, holding his pinky out and his thumb to his lips, miming like he was knocking back a drink. Raven gave a beleaguered nod, making Roman chuckle. Raven quickly went back to the scroll, her eyes narrowing. "No, this isn't a joke… Would I call you if it wasn't important? Look, I…" She looked towards the ceiling, steeling herself. "I need your help…. stop laughing!"

Neo watched as Raven quickly got more agitated, Roman smothering his cackles as the conversation went on. She leaned back against the counter, a seed of dread forming in her stomach. Not really for the fight with Taurus. She'd known from the get-go they'd be in for one hell of a fight once they turned on the White Fang. Between Taurus, Cinder, the legions of angry Faunus; it'd be a miracle if they made it out alive.

Just the kind of thrill she lived for.

No, what was starting to get to her was that Roman and Raven were calling in more people. More friends.

Roman had friends. Ugh, that would never stop sounding weird.

And if they were anything like Raven, things were just going to get more and more hectic as the clock ticked down to their personal doomsday.

Not to mention how those girls, Little Red and Sunshine, were apparently Roman's nieces. Which just added a whole new level of 'What the hell?'

With a sigh, Neo looked up at the ceiling, ignoring Raven's steadily rising irritation. ("How am I supposed to know what classes they have when? You don't even know that!"). She sighed deeply. _We're never going to get things back to normal, are we?_

Something Qrow said made Raven squawk with indignation, catching Roman's interest. Neo watched as Roman suddenly snatched the scroll out of Raven's hand ("Hey, Bird Brain, how's your day been? Finish drinking your dinner yet?"), continuing the conversation easily as Raven jumped up of the couch, prowling after him as he paced around the living room. She started shouting at him to give it back, while Roman just kept chatting away, grinning like a fool even as this Qrow person started yelling at him from the other end.

Neo watched this, and soon felt a smile tugging at her lips. She shrugged to herself. For once, maybe Roman was right.

Normal was for the weak.

* * *

 **A/n: If you're curious about Raven and Qrow's talk, don't worry. We'll touch back on it fairly soon.**

 **I really love these Roman/Raven chapters. I just really like the idea of Roman being the one guy who can not only call Raven on her bulls***, but will also go to whatever low necessary to do so. He's like the bratty little brother of Team STRQ.**

 **So, I've got a weird question: Anyone out there know how to make a TV Tropes page? I've been wanting to make one for LiLaL forever, but after futzing around with the site for a bit, I got overwhelmed pretty fast. Any help would be appreciated.**

 **Next Chapter, a check in with the Belladonnas, Wherein Kali hunts down a wayward chameleon.**


	53. Chapter 53: Overcast

**Chapter 53: Overcast**

 **Southern Remnant Ocean**

To anyone else, the day would seem perfect. The skies were clear, the ocean calm, and the Grimm were being mercifully quiet. As the passenger liner cut through the gentle waves, people of all ages lined across the deck, enjoying the beautiful day. It was a day to have no care in the world and simply relax.

That is, unless you were Kali Belladonna.

"This is getting ridiculous," The cat-Faunus muttered to herself as she rested her hands on the ship's railing, looking out towards the horizon.

"Then I'm sure you can relate, my dear."

Kali turned her head, giving Gira a flat glare. Her husband sat at one of the numerous patio tables set up across the deck, a red umbrella keeping the sun's heat off him. There was a book in front of him on the table, which his eyes never left. Nevertheless, a grin played on his lips.

Refusing to be baited, Kali merely let out a sigh, leaving the railing to sit across from her husband. She folded her arms on the table, resting her head as her cat-ears wilted. "I just don't understand. I've been looking all day, and-"

"Kali," Ghira cut her off, with the tone of a man tired of repeating himself. "It's a big ship. You can't cover the entire thing yourself. And, well…" He smiled humorously. "She _is_ a chameleon."

Kali pouted at him, making him chuckle.

Since catching sight of Ilia the previous day, Kali had been scouring the ship trying to find her. The way she saw it, since the girl was Blake's friend, maybe if they talked with her they could gain a new Ally. Possibly gain a different perspective on everything Blake had gone through.

Ghira thought it was a bad idea, pointing out that, as far as they knew, Ilia was still a loyal member of Taurus' White Fang. While it would be nice to meet one of Blake's friends face to face, it was entirely possible she would warn Adam of their arrival the first chance she had. He pointed out how Ilia likely hadn't spoken to Blake in almost a year either, so they had no idea where her loyalties lay.

Unfortunately, Kali couldn't really blame him. She knew she was being silly looking for Ilia, but... she needed to be doing _something_. Since getting on the ship, Kali had started to go a little stir crazy. She spent the previous week with Ghira planning out where they'd go, what they would do once they reached Vale. What they'd say to Blake, how they'd deal with Adam, what they do with the White Fang; nothing truly set in stone, but enough to give them options once they reached the city.

But now that they were on their way, and had planned out as much as they could, Kali had nothing left to focus on. So in no time at all, her thoughts would start drifting back to Blake. The things she'd done, what she'd gone through; it wasn't uncommon for her to suddenly start staring off into the distance, not stopping until Ghira startled her back to her senses. Finding Ilia gave her something to do.

Ghira could sympathize with her, as he found himself in the same position from time to time. Which was why he didn't do much to discourage her searching, outside of a few bland comments.

"Do you think the captain would tell me what room she's assigned in?

Ghira shook his head, resisting the urge to sigh. "Pretty sure they have rules about giving out room numbers to strangers, Kali." Kali just pouted, putting her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her hands. It made Ghira's lips pull up in a fond smile.

As the minutes ticked past in silence, broken only by the sound of waves lapping against the ship's hull, something started to feel… odd. Ghira frowned lightly, feeling his shoulders tense. It was an old feeling, one he'd rarely felt since retiring from the White Fang.

He was being watched.

Ghira sighed deeply, keeping his face passive, his eyes never straying from the pages of his book. He tried to stretch out his senses, pinpoint where the watcher was, but between the crowded deck and working crew, there was just too much noise. He'd just have to wait for an opportunity…

It came not three minutes later. For what felt like the dozenth time that day, a Faunus gathered enough courage to approach their table. ("My brother ran off to join the White Fang a few months ago and I haven't heard from him. Could you ask if anyone has seen him the next chance you get?") As Ghira spoke with the young bat-Faunus, he let his eyes move with every turn of his head, taking in as much of the ship around them as he could. He smiled as the Faunus walked away, and not just from speaking with her.

Very quietly, Ghira spoke. "Kali."

His wife's ears perked up as she lifted her head from her arms, as she'd started dozing while he was speaking with the bat-Faunus. She blinked the sleep from her eyes, giving him a curious look.

Ghira spoke even quieter, knowing his wife could hear him with her sharp ears. "Don't react to what I'm about to say. I think I found our daughter's wayward friend."

To Kali's credit, the only reaction she had was her golden eyes sharpening. Staring evenly at him, she responded just as softly. "Where?"

Ghira dipped his head, eyes solely on the pages in front of him. "Upper deck, behind the leftmost rowboat."

"Do you think she can hear us?"

"Over the ship and other passengers? Doubtful."

Kali was silent for a moment, like she was digesting this new bit of news. Then she gave him a sly smile. "Well, just to be sure." She slowly stood up from the table, rolling her neck like she'd just awoken from a nap. "It's a bit warmer then I thought it would be today," She said in her normal tone of voice. "I'm going to go change into something a bit lighter."

Ghira grinned at her, nodding. "Could you bring me out another book? I'm almost done with this one."

"Anything in particular?"

"Maybe one of the older myths I brought? _The Dragon Hunt_?"

Kali merely smiled in answer, mischief in her eyes as she started down the deck.

Ghira watched her go, turning back to his book once she was out of sight. Even as he read through the tome, taking in the humorous tale of a Faunus warrior's efforts to tame a Beowolf, he kept his ears trained on a particular corner of the ship. He trusted his wife's capabilities in handling a single teenager, but still… she was part of Adam's Fang. Better to keep on guard. Just in case.

* * *

As the day went on, Ilia found herself gaining a new sense of resentment, not only of the Belladonnas, but of Adam and herself as well.

It was gorgeous out. The beating sun combined with a gentle breeze, the fresh sea air giving everything a sort of crisp, calm feeling; her greatest desire at the moment was to find a quiet place on deck and just bathe in the warm sunshine.

Instead, she was forcing herself to hunker down beside a tarped up liferaft, sandwiched between it and the ship's railing as she kept watch over a single table.

And being bored out of her skull.

Why? Why did Blake's parents have to get on the same ship that she did? Why were they even leaving Menagerie to begin with?

Why did Adam even call her in?

These were the questions Ilia kept asking herself, over and over again as she hid in her cabin the previous day. It had taken hours for her to come to grips with the situation: how she was trapped in the middle of the ocean with no support, no communications, and with the King and Queen of her species prowling the ship.

Once she'd finally stopped shaking in terror, she came to a decision. From what she'd overheard from them, the Belladonna's obviously knew more about the White Fang then they'd thought. If she was going to be stuck on the same ship with them until the first Vale port, she might as well shadow them, if only to find out exactly how much they knew.

 _How much Blake told them,_ muttered an angry little voice in the back of her head. Ilia shook the thought away.

Thus far, it had all been for nothing. No, worse than nothing. The Belladonna's had spoken little if anything about Adam or the White Fang in general. Instead, they'd treated the trip thus far like a vacation, relaxing on the deck and only speaking whenever someone approached them.

Ilia was brought out of her thoughts when she noticed Blake's mother get up from their table. She watched her say a few words to the Chief, then started walking away, towards the cabins. She had half a mind to follow her, but dismissed it quickly. She'd done just that the previous day, following the Faunus matriarch as she wandered throughout the ship. She'd been hoping to discover some kind of secret, perhaps a contact the Belladonna's were meant to meet on the cruise.

Instead, Kali seemed to just move about aimlessly, going from the dining room, the ship's bow; even to the engine room! She never lingered anywhere for long, usually just to ask a nearby crew member something too low for Ilia to hear. By the end of the day, Ilia went to bed tired, irritated, and even more stressed than before.

 _Maybe it's a family thing,_ she wondered idly. She remembered Blake doing the same thing whenever they moved bases, scouring every nook and cranny of their new home, even if they would only be staying there for a few days. Ilia remembered watching her as Blake stalked around the room, sometimes staring intently at some piece of furniture, her cat-ears perking up, before moving on. It was oddly cute to watch...

 _Annnd_ Ilia stopped that thought cold, her brief small smile falling into a fierce scowl.

 _No time for that,_ she scolded herself. Which was a complete lie, given that she had nothing _but_ time on this infernal trip. But maybe if she kept saying it to herself, her thoughts would stop straying to the 'what-was' and 'could-have-beens'. _Just focus on the Chief… who is still reading his book._

Ilia wilted, shifting her weight as she tried to keep her legs from falling asleep. She'd never thought the King of Menagerie would be this… _boring_. All she'd seen him do in the last day and a half was talk to curious Faunus and read. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting on her self-imposed mission, but _this_ was not it.

She almost wished something would happen just to break up the monotony.

"It's rude to eavesdrop, you know."

Ilia's whole body jolted in surprise at the calm, clear voice coming from _right behind her._

In a flash, she was on her feet, spinning around as she brought her sword to bare. Heart hammering, she hunched defensively as she lifted her sword…

And pointed it right in Kali Belladonna's face.

Just like that, the warm sunny day might as well have turned arctic, given the way Ilia's whole body went cold. She stared with wide eyes at the woman she'd been spying on, Blake's mother, _her Queen_. Any thoughts she had fled her, her mind going blank with sheer dread.

Kali, for her part, was almost insultingly calm, given the blade almost touching the tip of her nose. Her eyes were a tad wider than before as she looked down the length of Ilia's sword. "Well, there's little need for _that_ ," She said with a hint of reprimand, raised a finger to nudge the blade away. Not much, just enough that Ilia was now pointing at her human ear rather than her nose.

A tiny portion of Ilia's mind, the bit that wasn't locked up in horror, was screaming at her to respond, to say _something_.

"W-Wha…?"

Well… that _was_ technically something.

Kali's grin widened just a bit at the sound of Ilia's voice. "I'm sorry to have startled you, but you've been rather hard to track down."

Again, Ilia's brain was about three steps behind as she struggled to respond, not that Kali's comment helped any. "T-Track d-down…?"

Kali nodded patiently. "Yes, I've been trying to find you since I saw you yesterday." Her smile fell slightly, uncertainty shining in her eyes. "You _are_ Ilia Amitola, yes?"

 _The Queen of Menagerie knows my name._ Despite everything; her history, her affiliation, her relationship with the woman's daughter; Ilia couldn't help the childish sense of giddiness that overtook her at that moment. It was washed away when she realized that that was a _very bad thing_.

"U-Um…" Ilia stuttered, her mind stalling as she tried to think of something, _anything_ she could say. She saw Kali's eyes flick to the side, and her face heated when she realized she still had her sword pointed at the freaking _Queen_. She jerked her arm back, almost fumbling the blade as it retracted back into the hilt. "I-I'm sorry!" She squeaked, clasping the hilt in both hands as she averted her eyes.

To her surprise, rather than a give a reprimand or accusation, Kali… giggled. Ilia looked back up, seeing the matriarch stifle her soft laugh with her closed hand.

Kali's lips twitched upwards as her eyes shined, humorous but kind. "Sweetheart, you may want to take a moment to collect yourself. You've turned pink."

Ilia blinked dumbly at her, then quickly glanced down. Sure enough, her skin had shifted to an embarrassing shade of light pink, her hair and the dark flecks dotting her having changed to pastel yellow. Mortified, her skin darkened a few shades deeper pink, before she forced her scales to shift back to their normal tan color. In a just a few seconds, the only unnatural color on her body were the dark red spots pooling in her cheeks.

"There, that's better," Kali said in a bright voice, smiling at her. To anyone else, the kindness in her eyes would have been reassuring, but for Ilia, it just made her want to squirm.

Swallowing thickly in a vain attempt to wet her dry mouth, she asked, "H-How do you know my name?" She cursed her voice for being so shaky.

Kali paused, suddenly looking hesitant. After a moment, she pulled out a scroll and opened it. She smiled softly at the screen, then met Ilia's eyes. "My daughter made very few friends in the last few years." She turned the scroll around so Ilia could see it. "I made a point to remember each one."

Ilia stared at the photo with wide eyes. She remembered when they took it, how nervous she'd been when Blake told her who her parents actually were, just seconds before the photo was taken. "You… you kept that?"

Kali just looked at her with kind eyes, her smile slipping a little. "I haven't been near my daughter in almost four years. I've kept everything."

Ilia didn't know what to say to that. She wasn't capable of speaking even if she did.

After a moment's silence, Kali's ears perked back up. "Ilia, my husband and I have a few questions we were hoping you might be able to answer. Would you be willing to join us for lunch?"

Ilia's brain had officially stopped working, overwhelmed by just how in over her head she'd gotten in the last five minutes. Have lunch with Chief Ghira? That would be a terrifying prospect even if she _wasn't_ actively working against him.

This was bad. This was _beyond_ bad. Any sort of plan she'd created had just been blown to bits, and she had no idea what to do. She couldn't even run, due to them being on the damn ship. Ilia's stomach churned as she realized that she was well and truly trapped, with those familiar amber eyes staring patiently at her, waiting for an answer.

 _Just… I just have to go along with it until I… I think of something!_ She fiercely ignored her own feelings about just how likely that was going to work.

"S-Sure!" She squeaked, and it was all she could do not to turn green with nerves.

 _I'm going to die._

* * *

Ghira was just starting the last chapter of his book when he sensed his wife drawing closer. The mix of _Success, Worry, Hopefulness_ coming off of her told him how things had gone even before he saw her approach, her arm linked with that of the young chameleon-Faunus that had eluded her the past couple days.

"Happy hunting, dear?" He couldn't help but joke, folding the page of his book before setting it down.

Kali merely sent him a heatless glower, before motioning to the girl. "Dear, this is Blake's friend from the White Fang, Ilia."

Ghira looked Ilia over, taking note of the slight jump she made when Kali said the words 'White Fang'. The poor girl was trying hard to appear at ease, and failing miserably. Even if Ghira hadn't noticed her tight smile, shaking hands, and stiff posture, her fear was so potent he could practically smell it.

 _Going to have to be careful. We push her too hard, she might bolt… not that she has anywhere to go, but I have no desire to push her into a literal corner._

Putting on a diplomatic smile, he gave Ilia a small nod. Normally, he'd stand to greet someone new, but considering that he had over two feet on her, that might be considered intimidating. "A pleasure to meet you, miss. Please, sit down. Any friend of our daughter is a friend of ours."

Ilia stiffened as she eyed the chair he'd gestured to. "That's… very kind of you, sir."

Ghira resisted a sigh, he and Kali meeting eyes. He didn't need the Link to know what she was thinking: _how do we want to do this?_

Ghira merely gave her a reassuring grin, gesturing for her to sit. With a slight nod, Kali did so. Ilia hesitated, and Ghira noted how her eyes darted to the side, where the door to the ship's interior was just a little ways down the ship. Just as he thought she might run, Ilia moved to the chair directly across from him.

Once she was seated, Ghira spoke. "I must say, it was quite a surprise when we realized one of Blake's friends was on board with us."

Ilia swallowed as her smile wavered. "Y-Yes, sir. Quite the coincidence."

Ghira nodded. "A happy one, I hope." He met Kali's eyes again, his wife giving him a slight nod. Turning back to Ilia, he said, "If you wouldn't mind, there are a few things My wife and I have been wondering about. If you were able to answer them, we'd be very grateful."

Ilia stared back at him, poorly-concealed worry all over her face. He fingers were twitching slightly in her folded hands. "I-I'm not sure what help I could give, Chief Ghira."

Ghira took a deep breath, shooting Kali an annoyed look as her lips pulled back into a small smirk. "I think you might be more helpful than you think, Ilia." He noticed Ilia's head jerk slightly when he said her name, his smile becoming a bit more genuine. "You see, Blake contacted us not too long ago, for the first time in nearly a year."

Ghira watched her expression, seeing Ilia's mask crack slightly as the smile slipped from her face, becoming a tight line. "She did?" It was a weak question, sounding less of surprise and more of a need for confirmation.

Ghira nodded in answer, then turned his eyes upwards in thought. "Well, perhaps that's not wholly accurate. It was us who actually contacted her in the beginning."

Ilia blinked in surprise at that. "Y-You called her?"

It was Kali who answered her. "That we did. Though I'm afraid Blake made it harder to do so then we expected. She's apparently been blocking our calls for the last year." Her smile gained a mischievous quality. "I eventually had to go through her Headmaster to finally reach her."

"...why were you trying to reach her?" Ilia asked, shoulders hunched.

Kali went to speak, but the paused. After a moment's thought, she asked a question of her own. "Ilia, when was the last time you've spoken to Blake?"

Ilia stiffened immediately, worry in her eyes. "Um… not since I moved back to Menagerie," She admitted, though Ghira noted the nervous shift in her eyes. "W-Why do you ask?"

Kali just gave her usual kind smile, not reacting to Ilia's nerves in the slightest. "Then you've probably not heard." She glanced at Ghira briefly, before saying, "Blake Mated somebody."

 _...well, that answers that._ Ghira watched Ilia's face as his wife spoke, waiting to see her reaction. Sure enough, for a brief moment, something flashed across her face, before being replaced with poorly acted shocked. He… honestly wasn't sure what to make of the look that crossed her face. Part worry, part fear, part… anger? Regardless, one thing was certain: Ilia wasn't surprised. She'd already known about Blake's Mating.

Still, Ilia tried to respond, her voice much more chipper than necessary. "I-Is that so? That's… great!"

Gira looked at her, contemplating whether or not to keep up they're little charade. He saw Kali glance at him, feeling her _Worry_ and _Indecision_.

After thinking for a moment, Ghira decided. They needed answers, _honest_ answers, and they wouldn't get them if Ilia thought she could keep playing dumb.

Ghira closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. To his side, Kali set out a soft sigh, likely from feeling his grim _Determination_. When he opened his eyes, he locked gazes with Ilia, making her wince at the intensity in his eyes.

"Young lady," He started, his voice calm but commanding. "While I commend you for trying, I have been dealing with politicians and would would-be deceivers for decades. Now, while I have evidently grown rusty in my years of complacency, I'm afraid you've not yet gained the skills to fool me."

With every word he said, Ghira could see the Ilia's hastily made walls come crumbling down. Her calm facade morphed quickly into panic, her pale blue eyes widening in fear. Her whole body grew tense, coiling like a spring.

Ghira felt a sharp stab in his chest at having frightened someone so close to his Blake's age, someone possibly not that different from what his daughter had been only a year ago. He pushed passed it. He could make amends later, hopefully soon, but right now, he needed her to understand where things stood.

With his face carefully neutral, he said. "You already knew Blake was Mated… didn't you?"

Ilia's mouth worked uselessly for a moment, before snapping shut. She stared at the center of the table, her hands clenched together in front of her. Her whole body trembled. "Yes," she answered quietly, her voice tight.

"How?" Ghira asked in that same firm tone.

Ilia didn't respond. Her eyes flitted back and forth across the table, her mind likely racing. With a slight huff, Ghira folded his arms on the table, staring at her intently. Choosing his words very carefully, he said, "Ilia… you are our daughter's friend. Whenever she spoke of you, she never had a bad word to say." Ilia's eyes flicked up to meet his, a spark of surprise cutting through her panic. Ghira pushed on. "Now, I'll be honest. I don't know you. I don't know where your allegiances lie or the lengths you'll go for them. But as it stands, all we know of the situation in Vale is what Blake told us, and I'm afraid what she knows is rather out of date. We need fresh information… and I'm hoping you might be able to provide it for us."

Ilia just stared at Ghira for what felt like ages, her body still save for the rapid rise and fall of her chest. "W-Why… why are you asking me?" She stuttered out.

It was Kali who answered, giving Ilia a small, hopeful smile. "I'd like to think Blake is a good judge of character. The only failure in trust she's had is more our fault than hers."

Ilia blinked in confusion. "What?"

Kali paused, then sighed lightly. "In a moment. Regardless, Blake's friendship with you was made of her own volition. Her trust in you is purely her own… and therefore, I believe… I _hope_ , we can trust you as well."

Ghira watched as several emotions flickered across Ilia's face, ranging from disbelief to nervous hope. Tense silence fell over the table as the minutes ticked by.

"S-Sir, I'm…" Ilia paused at the sound of her own voice, face flushing from how choked up she sounded. She cleared her throat, not catching Ghira's lips twitch upwards, a wistful look in his eye. "I-I'm flattered, sir, truly. But… I'm not sure if it's entirely wise for you to… to trust me, since…" Ilia seemed to fold in on herself as she spoke, giving the impression of someone well aware that they were digging themselves deeper with every word. "Well, because… we…"

Ghira decided to put the poor girl out of her misery, calmly stating, "Because you and I aren't quite on the same side anymore?"

If possible, Ilia retreated in on herself even more. Eyes fearful, she gave a slow nod.

Ghira couldn't help but give a rueful smile at that. "Miss, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't already suspected as much. It's just another complication for us to get past."

Ilia blinked in confusion. "Get past… for what?"

Ghira kept up his grin. "Ilia, could I be honest with you for a moment?" He waited for her to hesitantly nod before continuing. "My wife and I are well aware the current state of the White Fang, what Adam has twisted it into." Ilia flinched violently at his words, so Ghira went straight to the point before she could commit to running. "However, that's not what I want to talk about right now."

That startled a response from panicking chameleon. "You… you don't?"

Ghira shook his head. "There will be time for such discussions later, but right now? No. No, what we would like was if you could give us some information regarding Blake."

Ilia's head jerked slightly in surprise. He eyes narrowed warily. "What kind of information?"

Kali took over the conversation then. "What she was like in the Fang. What she went through, what she did." Her cat-ears wilted slightly as her voice dropped. "If she was happy…"

Ilia blinked at her. She folded her arms tightly across her chest, and Ghira noted that she seemed more relaxed, just a tad, when speaking to Kali. "Didn't Blake already tell you all that?" They didn't miss the slight bitterness in her voice as she spoke.

Kali nodded slowly, a sad smile on her lips. "She told us quite a bit, but… frankly, it was a bit much to take in all at once. Plus… she didn't really talk about herself all that much, just what she did and what happened around her." Her smile grew a little wider, hopeful. "We were hoping you could tell us if she was okay. Give us… an 'outsider looking in' kind of perspective."

Ilia watched Kali warily, no doubt searching for any deceit in her eyes. She gave Ghira the same treatment, though with much more hesitance. Moments passed, and still, she said nothing. She placed her arms back on the table, her fingers tapping a restless rhythm on the back of her hand. Then she met Ghira's eyes, her expression apprehensive, but slightly more relaxed.

"So… you just want to know some things about Blake? Not about the White Fang? Their plans?" She hesitated, then murmured nervously. "Adam?"

"I wouldn't say _that_ ," Ghira said, his hard eyes countering his wry smile. "However, if you don't want to give me that information- which, judging from that look in your eye, you _don't_ \- then I will refrain from asking about them. Right now, we have an opportunity, through you, to learn about who our daughter was in her life between Menagerie and Beacon."

Ilia went silent. She looked down at the table, eyes darting back and forth in thought. Ghira watched as her shoulders shifted, constantly tensing and relaxing. Whatever was going on inside her head, Ghira could see the conflict in her eyes.

"How about this:" Ilia swallowed thickly, determination fighting against the fear she was displaying. "I'll tell you whatever I'm able to about Blake… if you answer my own question first."

Ghira looked to Kali, both showing their surprise. Much as they'd hoped, neither had really expected Ilia to give them much after a single talk. Regardless, they weren't about to turn her generosity down. "If we have an answer for you, we'll gladly give it," Kali told her. Ghira nodded in agreement.

Still, Ilia hesitated. Her mouth opened part way, words forming on her lips, before snapping shut. Her hands flexed, fists forming and relaxing with every nervous motion. Ghira couldn't help the small bit of exasperation building as the seconds ticked by.

Just when he was about to ask what she was thinking, Ilia drew in a slow breath. She looked up, and the two elder Faunus were taken aback by the look in her eyes. Ilia's nerves and fear drained away, her shoulders slumping almost in defeat. Ghira felt his heart twinge painfully. The poor girl looked so _tired._

"Blake told you a lot?" She asked, her voice little more than a murmur.

Ghira gave a slow nod. "Quite a bit, though most of it was just about her own dealings within Adam's Fang."

Ilia nodded back. "Did…" She paused, sucking in a shuddering breath. "Did she tell you why she left?"

Both Ghira and Kali blinked at her question, Kali's ears shooting up in surprise. There was an intensity in Ilia's voice, a desperateness neither of them had expected. After sharing a quick look, Kali asked, "You don't know?"

Ilia turned to her, helplessness in her eyes. "No! I-I've been trying to figure it out, but… She was so happy!" It was like a dam breaking loose, all of Ilia's anxiety flooding back as she looked between her two elders, wanting, _begging_ them to understand. "She… she'd finally gotten a Mate's Mark from Adam! I hadn't seen her that happy in so long, and then…" Her breath grew choppy as her words tumbled from her mouth. "And then she and Adam went out and… Adam came back alone, and he was raging and Blake was just… _gone_."

Kali gave Ilia a pitying look, her ears wilting at the pain in her voice. She bit her lip, before saying, "Blake did tell us, but… I'm not sure she'd want us sharing her…"

" _Please!_ " Ilia flinched at her own desperate shout, quickly averting her eyes once again. Ghira looked off to the side, having felt the eyes of curious ship-goers who had turned towards the sudden yell. They all quickly dispersed upon noticing the Chief's stare bearing down on them.

"Please…" Ilia said again, drawing Ghira's attention. Her voice was little more than a whisper as she refused to look at either of them. "I need to know. I was her friend, I thought I knew her. But then… she left the Fang, left Adam… left me. And… and now she's becoming a _Huntress_ , and she's Mated, and…" She took a shuddering breath. Looking up, she looked between Ghira and Kali. "She changed everything, and… I just want to know _why…_ why did she just leave, and why _…_ why... _"_

Kali's ears fell further, her heart constricting as Ilia's voice thickened with emotion with every word. "'Why' what, sweetheart?"

Ilia's swallowed. Her pale blue eyes misted over as she bowed her head, and when she spoke, her voice sounded so broken and raw, Ghira couldn't help the look of concern he felt on his face.

Her voice wavering, Ilia brokenly asked,

"Why did she leave me behind?"

That was all Ghira could take. Looking at this girl, moments away from breaking down, Ghira, the Chief of Menagerie, faded away. In his place, Ghira, husband and father, felt a painful stab in his heart for Ilia, a girl not so different from his own. His arm was already reaching out, ready to clasp his hand over her shoulder in the hopes of comforting her.

Kali beat him to it.

Ghira felt her overwhelming _Sorrow, Anger, Protectiveness_ as she lept out of her chair, so fast she practically blurred. Her cat-ears Pinning back painfully against her skull, she threw her arms around Ilia, holding on to the girl tightly, as if she could squeeze the pain out of her.

Ilia stiffened from the sudden hug, her whole body tensing in surprise and shock. There was a brief look on her face, like she wanted to push Kali off of her. However, it faded almost immediately. Her eyes glossed over fully, streaks of wetness sliding down her cheeks. She awkwardly wrapped her arms around Kali, returning the hug with such force, both Belladonnas couldn't help but wonder when the last time she'd been shown affection was.

As Ilia sunk into Kali's arms, Ghira's shoulders slumped. _Congratulations, Ghira. You managed to reduce a little girl to tears._ To make things even worse, he'd recognized the look in Ilia's eyes on that last broken whisper, the little quirks he couldn't make sense of before quickly forming a clear picture: Ilia's feelings for Blake went beyond friendship.

And Blake likely didn't even know about it.

 _This just got a lot more complicated._ He turned his gaze skyward, watching the sun slowly tail towards the horizon. They were running out of time. Just hours before, they couldn't wait to get to Vale and reunite with Blake. But now, they had to try and soothe the aching heart of their daughter's wayward friend, in the vain hope that she might be willing to help them with both understand Blake a little better, and maybe, just maybe, with the White Fang as well.

Ghira ran a hand through his hair, staring off into the horizon as if the shores of Vale were going to appear at any moment. His eyes drifted back to the table, listening to Kali murmering words of comfort as Ilia cried into her shoulder. Ghira sighed, feeling lost.

 _How are we going to solve_ this _in just three days?_

* * *

 **A/n: Poor Ilia. Don't worry, it'll get better for her… eventually.**

 **Linked in Life and Love now has a TV Tropes page! A million thank yous to Jbenant for putting together the initial page, as well as the everyone who contributed to it so far. You all have no idea how awesome it is to see my story displayed like that. Again, thank you, everyone.**

 **Next chapter: Yang works on getting her Semblance under control, she and Ruby get a surprise visitor, and Blake… well, Blake meets someone new.**

 **Hehehe...**


	54. Chapter 54: Of Bots and Birds

**Chapter 54: Of Bots and Birds**

 **Saturday, Beacon Training Hall**

"C'mon, Penny, that all ya got?"

Penny leapt forward again, eyes glowing bright green as she threw her fist out. Yang quickly brought up her right arm, her hair illuminating as her eyes turned red. She groaned as she felt the brief pain turn to strength, new energy burning through her like a wildfire. She was about to shove Penny back, only to hear Nora's excited cackling coming from her other side. Her other arm flew up, just in time to block the heavy swing of Magnhild.

The three were still for a brief second as Yang felt the pain flow through her. Pain turned to warmth, warmth turned to power, and that power wanted _out_.

Her eyes blazing, Yang pushed her arms out with a yell, effortlessly sending Penny and Nora flying back. The two skidded to a halt, regaining their footing, before leaping forward once again.

This was the pattern they'd been following all morning. Ever since waking up (and untangling herself from the clingy limbs of her overly-affectionate housecat of a girlfriend), Yang had been down in the training hall sparing with Nora, then Penny when the latter eventually arrived. The whole time, she never turned off her Semblance, memorising every touch, every feeling, every bit of pain and power she received from her Semblance, trying to work out how exactly it worked.

And how to keep her Mates from hurting themselves with it.

Yang grinned at the thought of her Mates. While she was busy sparring, Ruby had decided that she would take Weiss and Blake back out into the Emerald Forest, to train them some more with her Semblance. The resulting _Joy_ and _Excitement_ left a pleasant buzzing feeling in the back of Yang's skull, helping her stay calm and focused as she repeatedly wailed on Nora and Penny.

After blocking a few more swings from Nora, Yang turned her attention to Penny. Fighting her was a bit of a trip, in all honesty. She had no real experience with fisticuffs (Something she'd made a point to tell Yang about six times before they started), but she hit like a truck, her small fists packing enough power to send Yang skidding back with every blow.

Although… something seemed a little off. Yang had watched Penny spar with her teammates all week, long enough to at least get a general feel for how she fought. Usually, even in just a minor spar, Penny had a laser focus on whatever she was doing. Every duck, dodge, and sword-swipe came out perfectly, like she was in a choreographed fight that the rest of them hadn't practiced for.

Now though, Penny seemed… slower. Still blazing fast by most standards, but compared to what Yang had seen? Penny almost seemed distracted, like she actually had to think before moving. Maybe it was due to the change in fighting style, but still...

Yang blocked a few more of Penny's heavy hits, until the burning in her arms suddenly grew hotter. Her red eyes widened in surprise and pain. "Time out!"

Penny froze mid punch, while Nora nearly toppled as Magnhild tried to rip itself out of her hands from an aborted swing. The two watched curiously as Yang's eyes slid closed.

She tensed, focusing on her Semblance. The power was like a boiling river, flowing through her body as it hissed and bubbled. As the seconds ticked by, she could feel the slight trembling beneath her skin, a vibration that went all the way down to her bones. Already, she could feel it building, the shaking growing stronger.

Her eyes flew open, her arm pulling back. She grit her teeth and punched downward.

All the heat, the power, surged forward, the river breaking its banks. It tore through her, practically ripping itself from her body, as it rushed towards a single point: her fist.

A sickening crack echoed throughout the training hall, causing the other spars going on to pause and look. Most everyone gawked at Yang, now kneeling at the center of a six-foot spiderweb crack in the marble floor.

The power now gone, Yang gasped for breath, exhaustion flooding her as the glow left her eyes and hair. She let out a chuckle. It was a good kind of exhaustion, the kind she usually got after a satisfying workout.

Nora let out a low whistle as she walked up to her, Magnhild casually hanging off her shoulder. She eyed the broken floor in amusement. " _Yeesh_. Either I'm tougher than I thought, or you were holding out on us."

Yang breathed a laugh, taking her hand when she offered it. "Eh. Let everything out in one punch. Awesome, but I'm kind of tapped now." Back on her feet, she stretched out her sore arm, only to wince slightly.

Penny quickly strode over, brow pinched in concern. "Yang? Are you injured?"

Yang waved her off. "Think I fractured a couple fingers. Aura's already taking care of it." She flexed her hand, pain receding with every movement. She flashed them both a grin. "I think that's all I got for today. Thanks. I owe ya both."

Nora scoffed, bringing Magnhild's head down to the broken floor with a loud bang. She leaned on it's handle, treating the massive hammer like a cane. "C'mon, you don't owe me nothin'. Any excuse to get my blood pumping like that is all I need." Penny gave a small nod in a agreement, smiling.

Yang just shook her head, grinning. "Whatever. I'll figure something out later."

Nora rolled her eyes, but returned the grin. "Well, if we're done, I gotta run. I finally convinced the guys to come with me to this cool noodle place across town." Her grin widened. "They've got an awesome curry dish there. Super spicy. Might finally get a reaction out of Ren."

Yang cocked her head, a little perplexed. "Didn't peg Ren as the type to take that kind of challenge."

Nora smiled wider, a wicked gleam in her eye. "I _might_ not have mentioned it to him yet."

Yang blinked, then started snickering, "Girl, you are evil."

Nora gave her a mocking bow, swing Magnhild back onto her shoulder. "I aim to please. That reminds me, though. Jaune said something about our teams maybe hanging out together, palling around the city a bit. Think you could ask Ruby what she thinks about it?"

"I'll pass along the message. Could be a fun time!"

"Awesome! I'll let Jaune know. Later!" She turned to leave, but not before giving Penny a wide smile. "It was nice to meet you, Penny. Maybe next time, me and you can try to figure out who's stronger." She held out her free arm towards the android, fist closed.

Penny blinked at her fist for a moment, surprised, before her face broke out in a wide grin. She slammed her fist into Nora's, saying. "That sounds like fun! Happy to meet you too, Nora!"

If Nora felt any pain from Penny's hand shattering fistbump, she didn't show it. If anything, she just seemed more excited, giving the two a wide wave goodbye before jogging out of the room.

"She seems very nice," Penny says they washed Nora go.

Yank chuckled. "Yeah. Just don't make her mad. Nora tends to get a little swing happy when she's ticked off."

Penny cocked her head, thinking. "I will keep that in mind." She then looked back down at Yang's hand, concern plain on her face. "Are you sure you are alright?"

Yang just brushed her off. "I'm fine, Pen. Give me 5 minutes and I'll be right as rain." She started walking out of the hall, ignoring all the stunned students gawking at her. Penny was right on her heels, probably about to go back to the Atlassian headquarters where Winter was. Yang hesitated as they left the hall, curiosity now burning within her. She contemplated only a moment, then turned back to Penny. "Are you doing okay?"

Penny's head jerked up slightly as she met Yang's eyes, as if she'd been startled from her thoughts. "I am fully functional, Yang. Why do you ask?"

Yang shrugged. "I dunno. Just seemed like you were a little distracted when we were sparring. Thought something might be wrong."

Penny blinked in surprise. She opened her mouth to respond, only to hesitate. Her eyes darted from Yang to the floor and back again. "It's, um… not something I can really talk about."

Yang frowned at how Penny refused to make I contact. "Why not? Is it classified or something?"

She'd meant it as a joke, but Penny merely nodded her head, biting her lower lip nervously. "Yes, actually."

"Oh." Yang suddenly felt rather awkward, looking off to the side as she thought about what to say. Looking back to Penny out the corner of her eye, she simply asked. "Robot stuff?"

That at least startled Penny into looking back at Yang. Seeing the amused grin on Yang's lips eased her nerves a little, a tentative smile of her own forming. "Basically... yeah. Robot stuff."

Yang gave a brief laugh under her breath, happy to have coaxed a smile out of the android. "Well, I don't want to get you in trouble." Even as she said that, though, she could still feel her curiosity burning just as hot as her Semblance had earlier. " _But_ … you could tell me a little. No specifics!" She added when she saw Penny's smile start to dip, her hands going up defensively. "You don't got to get specific. You can keep it vague if you want, but I'm willing to listen if you want to talk."

Penny stared at Yang as the two slowed to a stop. Their walk had brought them out into the courtyard, Yang having led them to the base of a large tree not too far from the school entrance. The courtyard was remarkably empty, most of the student body having wandered into the city to enjoy their weekend.

Penny still looked back and forth across the grounds, her hands fisting in trepidation. Her green eyes met Yang's lavender, shining with apprehension. "Yang… you're my friend… right?"

Now Yang blinked in surprise, letting out an incredulous laugh. "Well, I hope so! You helped us fight off a crazy guy in an oversized mecha, _and_ kept me from becoming street pizza. I'd say that makes us friends in my book."

Penny lips pulled up into a small smile at her words. Then she frowned, looking down at the ground. After a few moments, she muttered quietly to herself, "'Trust your friends.'" She thought for a moment, then nodded. Nervously, she met Yang's eyes. "There's a... job, that General Ironwood wants me to do. It's extremely important, but… the person who currently has the job can't do it anymore. He thinks I'm the only one who can replace her."

Yang frowned, crossing her arms as she leaned back against the tree. "Okay… why's he think you're the only one for the job?"

Penny ducked her head, her shoulders hunching. "Because… it's the entire reason I was built?"

It took Yang a moment to absorb that statement, Her mouth popped open, murmuring, "O-Oh…"

Penny nodded, her lips quivering into a rueful smile, before she looked back down at the ground. "I've always known I was going to become- to take the job," Her cheeks tinted green at her slip up, but Yang made no comment outside of a raised eyebrow. "I have since I was made. But now…"

"Now…?" Yang prompted.

Penny heaved another sigh, her shoulders slumping slightly. "After our debriefing… um, our _meeting_ with the Headmasters about our fight against Roman Torchwick, Professor Ozpin asked to talk to me alone. He…"

When she trailed off, Yang held back of sigh. "Take your time, Penny," she said, only slightly sarcastic. She wanted to help Penny if she could, but it would help if the synthetic girl would give her a straight answer.

After a few more moments of silence,Penny continued."Professor Ozpin is the one who will ultimately decide if I get the job or not. He asked me a few minor questions. Just small things, like 'what do I enjoy to do' and 'what do I think of Beacon?'. But then… then he asked me, 'why do you want to… take the job?'" She looked down, frowning at something. "I don't think he liked my answer."

Yang frowned with her. "What did you say?"

"The only thing I could." Penny gave a tiny shrug. "Because it's what I was made for." Her frown deepened, confusion in her eyes. "He gave me this look. I don't think he was angry, but… he looked almost… sad." Quietly, she muttered to herself, "Why was he _sad?_ "

"What happened next?"

"He told me he'd think on it. Apparently, he already had someone else in mind for the job before he found out about me. He said he was going to consider which of us would be better suited as a replacement, and for me to… 'figure out why I _want_ to do it, rather then why I _should_ do it.'" Her eyes narrowed slightly as she gave her head a little shake. "I've been thinking about it all week, and I'm still not sure I even know what the distinction is."

Yang hummed, not quite sure what to make of Ozpin's words herself. Trying to understand they're cryptic Headmaster was a losing effort to begin with. Instead, she asked Penny, "What brought this on all of a sudden? You didn't seem all that distracted back at the warehouse."

Penny crossed her arms as she sighed (making Yang wonder if robots needed to breathe). "General Ironwood told me my placement in the Vytal tournament today. You see, I'm not part of an official team back at Atlas Academy, so he… assigned me a partner. We'll be the only two-man team at the tournament."

"Okay," Yang said. "What's wrong with that?"

"Because it's never happened before!" Penny's lips fell into a frustrated pout, one Yang instantly recognized from seeing Ruby's over the years. "I checked the records. There's never been a team with less than four people in the tournament since its inception! They've never made exceptions before, but now… the General is making it happen."

Yang hummed to herself, piecing Penny's plight together. "So… you're ticked because you're getting special treatment?"

Penny bit her lip, hesitating, then gave a tiny nod. "General Ironwood and Professor Ozpin have been arguing about whether or not I should… get the job. Ozpin was against my creation in the first place, but the General had me created anyway. I think… I think the General is hoping that if I beat Ozpin's candidate in the tournament, that it'll prove that he was right."

Yang's head pulled back a little, her eyes blinking in surprise. She was silent for a moment. Then she let out a hollow laugh, absent of humor. "So the bigwigs are trying to one-up each other, and you're caught in the middle. Penny, that's…" She shook her head, huffing in disbelief. "That is _beyond_ stupid."

Penny just hung her head sadly, her shoulders slumping. "I just don't know what to do."

Yang frowned, absently digging her heel into the dirt. "I wish I had an answer for you, Pen." After a moment of just watching Penny stew, her lips slowly formed a half-smile.. "Hey." She waited until Penny lifted her head to speak. "Y'know we got your back if anything happens, right?"

Surprise spread over Penny's face, followed by a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I know, Yang. But I don't wish for any of you to get in trouble helping me." She pouted an annoyance. "I don't even know what help I need right now."

Feeling a small pang in her chest, Yang reached out and grasped Penny by the shoulder. She gave the android a soft smile. "We went after a master criminal in a warmachine to try and help Blake. I _think_ we've established we're not worried about getting in trouble. When you figure out what you need, tell us. You've got us RWBYies, Sun, Neptune, and probably Nora and her team now; you ever need some backup, you got it."

Penny stared at her, her green eyes gaining a glassy sheen. A large grin broke out over her face. "I'll remember that, Yang."

"You better," Yang said jokingly, giving the robot girl a light punch to the shoulder.

The sound of a ringing scroll suddenly filled the air, making both girls reach for their pockets. It was Penny's making noise, the Android pulling it apart and reading off the screen. She let out a small sigh.

Yang frowned. "What's up?"

Penny shook her head. "Specialist Winter is calling me back to base. She just received the information on my partner."

Yang pursed her lips, but quickly hid it behind a smirk. "Well, you better not keep her waiting. Make sure to get all the juicy details. Maybe if your partner's cool, you can bring them around here to meet everybody."

Penny blinked in surprise, but smiled lightly again. "That would be nice."

Yang chuckled a little. "Just keep it in mind. And remember: you need someone that'll get your back, we're all here waiting."

Penny grinned, giving a thankful nod. "I will. See you soon, friend!"

Yang waved as Penny took off down the courtyard, smiling fondly as she watched her go. She leaned back against the tree, looking up in thought. There was something about Penny that just made her enjoyable to be around, like a more timid Ruby.

Of course, with that in mind, Yang made a note to keep track this whole Ozpin vs. Ironwood thing. The way Penny described it… well, it was sending up a few red flags that made Yang want to start asking questions. Forceful questions. That involved hitting stupid people.

"Well look at you. Guess Ruby's not the only one you give big sister talks to."

Yang jolted as a rough voice cut through her thoughts. Her eyes shot wide as her head snapped to the side, her mouth popping open in shock.

Leaning up against a nearby light pole stood a tall man with smoky red eyes and messy black hair. He wore a grey and white dress shirt, and a tattered red cape hung that around his neck, partially hiding the massive sword hanging off his back.

A beaming smile broke out over Yang's face at the sight of the man. She launched herself away from the tree, letting out a laugh of disbelief. "Uncle Qrow!"

Qrow Branwen smirked at her, pushing away from the light pole. As Yang grew closer, he threw his arms out to catch her in a hug. "Long-time-no-see, kiddo." He then grunted when Yang squeezed him extra hard, his eyes bulging slightly. "Yeah…" He wheezed. "Shoulda seen that coming.

Yang laughed as she pulled away, noting that the scent of alcohol that usually hovered around Qrow seemed a bit fainter than usual. "What?" She asked with a grin. "Afraid for your brittle bones, old man?"

Qrow, narrowed his eyes at her, his smile shrinking in faux-disdain. "I can still kick your butt, little girl."

Yang rolled her eyes, the grin growing wider. "What the heck are you doing here? I figured you'd be out slicing up Grimm right now." A thought then struck her, morphing her smile into a suspicious scowl. "Hey, you're not here just to check up on us, are you? I told Dad he had nothing to worry about!"

Qrow lazily put his hands up in defense, still smirking. "Ease up on the fire, little dragon. I know you can handle things." He then paused, shrugging in disinterest. "Well, mostly."

Yang crossed her arms, lifting her chin in defiance. "What's that supposed to mean?"

To her annoyance, Qrow's smirk grew. "Nothing much. Just, uh…" He bobbed his head towards Yang, his eyes dropping lower. "I'm _pretty_ sure Taiyang had a thing about 'no tattoos'."

In an instant, Yang's whole body went rigid, her hand slapping up over her neck. The humor and happiness of reuniting with her uncle washed away in seconds, replaced by cold realization and rapidly building panic.

 _My Mark! He saw my Mark! Does… does he know what it is? Ohhh, crap! Ruby! Sis, mayday! Mayday! I need backup here!_

Her silent plea received no reply, other than a sense of _Confusion_ from Ruby. Yang wanted to scream in frustration. Thanks to the Link, all Ruby would sense was that Yang was panicking, not scared of any actual danger.

"So!" Yang loudly said, plastering on a wide smile that showed just how aware she was of her blatant subject change. "What brings you to Beacon?"

Qrow merely arched an eyebrow at her, thoroughly unimpressed. His eyes turned up in a minor roll as he decided to play along. "A few things. Thought I'd pop in with Oz and compare notes before anything else. And…" He paused, his head wavering slightly like he was mulling over his next words. "Something… _different_ came up. Nothing bad… I think. I was kind of hoping to get you and Ruby's input."

Yang's chin lifted in surprise. "Oh. What's up?"

Qrow let out a brief chuckle, his eyes drifting up to look at the Academy spires high above. "Let's track down you sister first. Y'know I hate repeating myself. Any idea where she is?"

"She went out for a run… uh, a _trial_ run, with our other teammates," Yang swapped words mid-sentence, her mind jumbling as she tried to figure out what she should and shouldn't say. "Y'know, testing out some new strategies and… stuff."

"Huh." Qrow nodded slowly. "Sounds cool. So, they out practicing somewhere?"

"Um…". Yang acted like she was looking around the grounds, trying to find the rest of her team. Instead, once she turned around so she was facing away from Qrow, her eyes slammed shut and she reached out for the Link. She breathed a silent sigh of relief when she looked up at the first-year dorms, seeing the wispy aura of Ruby and her Mates huddled together as they moved forward. Opening her eyes, she grinned when she saw what part of the building she was facing. "Actually," she said confidently. "They should be back at the dorm by now."

"Ah, perfect! Let's head up then." Without another word, Qrow started off towards the first-year dorms. Yang looked after him, a little startled. She quickly followed, asking, "Uh, don't you need to know where my dorm is, Unc?"

Qrow waved her off… well, flippantly waved his arm at her. "Eh, I already know. Dropped off Zwei there about an hour ago."

"You brought Zwei?" Yang asked in surprised, a grin quickly forming.

Qrow chuckled at the sight of her smile. "Yeah, Taiyang asked me to bring him with. Apparently, the little guy has been in a bit of a funk since his playmates ran off to fight giant monsters."

Yang laughed, a bit more spring in her step as they entered the building. "I bet. I miss him too. Man, Ruby's going to flip when she sees...wait."

Qrow paused mid-step, raising an eyebrow as he turned back to Yang, who had stopped in the middle of the hall. She looked up at him in quickly building panic. "What?" He asked.

* * *

 **RWBY Dorm**

"Uhh… everything hurts…"

"You can feel things again? I'm still all numb."

Ruby had to hold back giggles as she, Blake, and Weiss slowly trudged into their dorm, the original speedster supporting her Mates as their legs wobbled. "C'mon, guys, it's not that bad."

Weiss let out what she meant to be a scoff, but all her tired lungs could offer was a light huff. "Ruby, I feel like my legs got turned inside out and back again." She groaned as she pulled away from Ruby's grasp, stumbling a few steps until she reached her bed's banister. She leaned heavily against it, sliding until she was sitting on her bed. "Why did we agree to run ten laps through the forest?"

Ruby rolled her eyes, shuffling awkwardly between Weiss's bed and her own, which now sat haphazardly in the middle of the room, removed from its precarious suspension in preparation for both it and Weiss's being replaced. She carefully laid Blake down across her bed, the cat-Faunus letting out a tired groan of her own, before saying, "Because y _ou two_ said you wanted to test your limits"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Blake mumbled, huffing at the ceiling as her cat ears wilted. Weiss muttered in agreement, something about cursing her own 'stupid pride.'

"Well…" Ruby said, trying to lighten the mood. "You both lasted longer than before."

"I still lost myself at the end there," Weiss grumbled dejectedly.

Ruby was quick to reassure her. "But it took a lot longer to happen than before! You both are way ahead of where I was after just a week."

Blake thought on her words for a moment, then pushed herself up on her elbows, and asked, "So how old were you when you were where we're at?"

Ruby paused, scratching her cheek as she looked up at the ceiling. "Um…"

" _Ruby…"_ Weiss droned warningly. "How old?"

"I don't know," Ruby replied, in a tone that clearly said she _did_ know. "Maybe...uh…". She looked between two, shrugging with a sheepish smile. "Eleven?"

Weiss's eyes widened and Blake's cat ears shot up. The two shot each other a look, then flopped down on their beds with a groan.

Ruby looked between the two exhausted girls, part in concern, and part in humor. "Are you two gonna be okay to go out later?"

Both girls let out a slight huff at the reminder. They'd decided earlier that morning that, after their run was done and they'd reunited with Yang, the four would go out into the city simply to relax and have fun, something they hadn't done since the lockdown two weeks ago. Of course, when Weiss and Blake agreed to that, they hadn't expected to be so dead tired.

With a sigh and a grunt, Weiss pushed herself fully, preparing to stand. "We're fine, Ruby. Just… let me take a shower first?" She almost pleaded, pulling at her sweat-soaked collar in clear discomfort.

"Dibs on the next," Blake said, weakly raising her arm up as she kept still across the bed.

As Weiss shuffled around the room, collecting her clean clothes, Blake tried to push herself up. Her sore arms protested, making her fall back again, her head hanging limply over the edge. It wasn't a particularly uncomfortable position, so she just lied back and listened as Ruby and Weiss discussed their plans for the rest of the day.

After a minute of so, her eyes started to drift around the room. It only took a moment to notice something out of place, even from her upside down perspective.

She groaned inwardly. _Damn it, Yang. I asked you to make my bed before you left._ With a grunt, she managed to roll and swing her body around, pulling herself up. She looked down in annoyance at the disheveled sheets. Rolling her eyes, she leaned over and started pulling at the top corners of her bed.

The moment she leaned over, she froze. Her ears pulled back against her head as an unfamiliar sent her nose. We'll, mostly unfamiliar. But that couldn't be right. There was no way in hell that…

Her eyes trailed down the disturbed sheets of her bed. A particularly large lump in the middle quickly drew her attention.

Behind her, Ruby and Weiss looked up from their conversation, catching on to the _Confusion_ and _Dread_ coming from their girlfriend.

In a quick motion, Blake ripped the covers off her bed.

Furred, pointed ears twitched in the sudden air. A small head unfurled itself from the ball of fur curled up at the center of her bed, looking around in confusion. Sharp, white teeth gleamed as their owner let out a yawn, awakened from their nap.

Beady brown eyes looked up at Blake, meeting her terrified amber. A pink tongue lolled out as its owner panted happily.

" _Arf!"_

" _Mrrrow!"_

* * *

"You left Zwei in our dorm alone?!"

"Yeah?" Qrow said, confused by Yang's outburst.

"Ruby's heading to our dorm with our other teammates!"

"...so?" Qrow asked, not seeing the problem. "Glynda didn't want him running all over the place when I was talking to Oz. What, one of them allergic to dogs or something?"

Yang glared at her uncle, throwing her hands over her head. "Qrow, my partner is a cat Faunus!"

Qrow blinked at her. "Oh." A few seconds passed in silence, before the realization sank in. Qrow's head lifted a little… then gave a small shrug. "Whoops?"

Yang gawked incredulously at him, then quickly took off at a run. "Ohcrap,ohcrap,ohcrap…". She kept chanting as she made a beeline for the stairs. She made a mental note to chew the hell out of Qrow later, but first, she had to get to Blake. If the Faunus stumbled across Zwei without warning…

 _Oh, I hope Blake is one of those cats that likes dogs._

Just then, a slew of emotion bombarded her across the link from each of her Mates. _Panic_ and _Terror_ from Blake. _Joy_ and _Excitement_ from Ruby. And utter _Confusion_ from Weiss.

Yang groaned loudly to herself in frustration. _Of course. When am I ever that lucky?_

Yang took off so quickly, she didn't even notice that she was starting to trail yellow rose petals as she ran. Nor did she see the amused smirk on Qrow's lips, that slowly morphed into a small frown as he looked around the old first-year hallways.

He took a deep breath, his eyes closing. He let the breath out slowly, opening his eyes to look skyward. "Okay…". He muttered to himself, glancing out a nearby window. Even from across the courtyard, Qrow could make out the small blotch of black hiding in the upper branches of a far-off tree. He gave a slight nod, and the large raven took flight, soaring off in the direction of the city.

Qrow watched the raven disappear off into the sky, then turn to follow Yang, who was already long gone. Face set in determination, he took off after his niece.

"Well…" he said aloud. "Here goes nothing."

* * *

 **A/n: Yeesh. Just barely hit my two chapter per month minimum. Sorry about that.**

 **Zwei! And Qrow! Anyone have any tips on how to write Qrow properly? I know I've shifted things around in this story, but I still want to make sure I write his personality correctly. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.**

 **Next chapter: Flashback as Raven, Qrow, and Roman reunite, and Qrow drops a bombshell on Yang and Ruby. Also, Blake deals with her furry new roommate.**

 **See ya next time!**


	55. Chapter 55: Birds of a Feather

**Chapter 55: Birds of a Feather...**

As Qrow made his way leisurely through the halls (Yang had long left him in the dust by that point. He knew where she was going, no need to rush.), he couldn't help but look around, breathing in the nostalgia from years gone by.

 _Twenty-one years. Yeesh. Pretty soon, those old man comments won't be too far off._

He gave a genuine smile as he passed a particular window, one he recalled getting shattered by Taiyang after some moron in their year made one comment too many about Qrow's bad luck and Summer's perpetual good mood.

 _Idiot was lucky Tai just threw him_ at _it and not_ through _it._

Every turn he took dredged up more memories, little snippets of the past forcing themselves to the forefront of his mind. Him chasing a giggling Summer down the hall after she snagged his sword just for the hell of it. Tai helping the three of them study for midterms, futile though it was. Summer managing to convince both boys to dance with her to some goofy pop song, while Raven glared at them like they were all idiots, even as she couldn't help but laugh.

That brought him up short.

Raven. Laughing.

 _Gods, when was the last time I saw that?_

For a brief moment, Qrow let himself pretend. Imagined them all sitting down, talking, explaining everything perfectly. He pictured Ruby and Yang listening, accepting the choices they'd made. The bizarre little family they'd cobbled together so long ago coming together once more, nearly complete bar one. Maybe he'd hear Raven laugh again, see her smile more often. Hell, just _see_ her more often. It was a beautiful little fantasy.

Then Qrow came back to reality. He scoffed to himself. _Of course,_ I'm here _, so this whole thing is screwed from the get-go._ He shook his head in exhausted disbelief. _Seriously, Rea, what were you thinking?_

He walked a few more pieces before remembering _. Oh, yeah. She got conned by Roman._ He snickered despite himself. _I wonder if Raven's cooled down yet?_

* * *

 _ **The previous night…**_

 _As Qrow stepped out of Raven's portal, He couldn't help but gawk. When he'd gotten Raven's call, he'd been expecting to have to pull her and Roman away from each other, if only to keep one from killing the other. Given Roman's laughing and Raven's raging, it was a distinct possibility._

 _What he found instead was a bit more… mundane._

 _The rattiness of the apartment didn't faze him much. Always being on the road, he'd dealt with worse. No, the shocking part was the occupants. Roman was just standing off to the side, smirking at an overloaded whiteboard, while Raven sat on the couch… pouting?_

 _The hell?_

" _Uh… hey?"_

 _Roman looked away from his board, his smirk growing. He turned towards Raven. "Told you mine'd be better. At least I opened with a joke."_

 _Raven glared. "Shut up, Roman." She pushed herself off the couch, ignoring Roman's smarmy look. She gestured with her hand._

 _A loud crack echoed behind Qrow, Raven's portal snapping shut. The act was so sudden, Qrow looked down in panic, hoping his plus-one hadn't been left behind. To his relief, Zwei sat huddled by his ankles, cocking his head at the now empty air._

 _When Qrow turned back, Raven was standing right in front of him. The tension in the room ramped up as she stared him down, her eyes flat and expressionless. Frowning, Qrow gave her an equally empty look._

" _Qrow," Raven said, looking him up and down. "You look… good."_

 _Qrow_ just _stopped from rolling his eyes. "Thank you for noticing," He replied, not even trying to hide his sarcasm. "You… still look twenty...dammit… " His lips curled into mock-frown as he muttered under his breath._

 _The small, near-invisible twitch of Raven's lips was her only response, but Qrow figured he would have to take what he could get._

 _The resulting silence was thick and oppressive, giving the whole room an off feeling as the siblings stared each other down. It had been so long since they'd seen each other face to face, and they hadn't parted on the best of terms last time. Qrow waited for Raven to say something, well aware that she was likely waiting for the same from him._

 _Only a minute or so had passed like that before they heard a loud groan come from Roman._

" _Oh, for the love of…" The conman rolled his eyes, massaging his temples in frustration. He then glared between the two of them in irritation. "Can you two please just skip the emotional bullshit and hug already?"_

 _Qrow turned towards him at the same moment Raven did, both giving him identical annoyed looks. Roman threw his hands up in defense, looking exasperated as he turned back to his board._

 _Qrow looked back to Raven, seeing her glance at him from the corner of her eye. He hesitated, part of him wanting to cling to the frustrations he had ingrained in himself for the previous decade-and-a-half. Then he took a deep breath, admitting to himself that Roman had a point (not that he'd_ ever _admit it to the insufferable ass). With a small smirk, he held his arms out excessively wide._

 _Raven glared at him like he was an idiot. Qrow's only response was to twitch his fingers in a 'bring-it' motion, his smirk widening. Raven stared defiantly for a full minute, before, slowly, her shoulders slumped in defeat. Her eyes rolled upwards as if asking the heavens for strength, before stepping forward._

 _The hug felt stiff. And awkward. But Qrow could feel a light pressure as Raven slowly wrapped her arms around him. She'd actually tried to hug him back. And from Raven, that said more than words ever could._

" _Glad you're still in one piece, Sis," Qrow muttered to her._

 _She gave him another feather-light squeeze, murmuring back just as quietly, "...same."_

 _The two pulled away seconds later, neither all that comfortable with physical affection. Qrow, being the kind, mature brother that he was, chose to only snicker at the light flush of embarrassment on Raven's face, rather than outright laugh._

 _While the twins reunited, Zwei sniffed around the room, curious about the new location. He soon caught sight of Roman, padding up to the conman with a happy doggy grin. Roman stared down at him, cocking a brow. "What's with the mutt?"_

 _The question cut through the awkward air around Qrow and Raven, making Qrow look over. "He's Yang and Ruby's. Figured it wouldn't hurt having him here to cheer them up, just in case things go sideways."_

 _Roman gave a slow nod, looking a tad skeptical. Zwei just kept staring up at him, like he was expecting something. After a moment, Roman looked up, catching sight of Neo watching curiously from the kitchen. He smirked._

" _Hey, boy," he said, making Zwei tilt his head. "Wanna snack?" Zwei's ears perked up in an instant, his tongue rolling out as he panted. Without looking, Roman pointed towards the kitchen with his cane. "See that girl? She's got food! Go get her!"_

 _Neo's eyes shot wide, flickering between brown and pink rapidly. Before she could give any kind of negative, Zwei had already taken off in a run, jumping up and planting his front paws on Neo's legs. He let out a couple barks, panting as his stubby tail wagged. Neo shot Roman a look of pure murder, the conman just smiling smugly to himself, looking much too satisfied for her tastes. Hearing the dog whine at her feet, Neo let out of a silent groan, shuffling towards the fridge in hopes that's some food would make him leave her alone._

 _Qrow chuckled lightly at the sight, taking note of Raven's lip twitching upwards again. "Well," Qrow started. "Nice to see you're still alive, Roman."_

 _Roman snorted, a half-smile on his lips. "Yeah, I can feel the love, Bird Brain." He let out a deep sigh, pulling off his recently replaced bowler hat. "So… this the part where you kick my ass?"_

 _Qrow blinked, confused for a moment, before grinning. "Me? Aw, no, never." His grin widened. "Tai, on the other hand…"_

 _Roman wilted where he stood, resigned to his fate. "Guess he's pissed about our fight way back?"_

 _To the conman's surprise, Qrow shook his head. "That old news? Y'know Tai can't hold a grudge that long. He healed up fine, and honestly, I think he feels a little guilty about your arm."_

 _Roman unconsciously shook his left arm a bit, ignoring both the memory and the phantom pain. "Really? Well, that's neat, but… what's he ticked about, then?"_

 _Deciding to have a little fun, Qrow calmly said, "Oh, just the phone call Oz gave him last week."_

 _As expected, the smarmy look on Roman's face froze in an instant, his eyes tightening at the corners. "Phone call?"_

" _Phone call?" Raven echoed, looking between Qrow and Roman in clear suspicion._

" _Yeah, " Qrow confirmed, not even trying to hide how much he was enjoying watching Roman squirm. "Oz felt Tai should know about the shape Ruby was in, especially given who caused the damage."_

" _What damage?" Raven asked, a dangerous glint in her eye._

 _Qrow cocked his head to the side. "You don't know?"_

 _She gave him The Glare. "I only got here on Tuesday, and she seemed fine. Now," she swiveled her head towards Roman, The Glare making him grimace. "What damage?"_

 _Roman looked down into her blazing eyes, dread plain on his face. His head tilted up, looking over Raven's head towards Qrow. Their eyes locked, and Qrow couldn't help but smirk back at him._

" _Don't do it," Roman ordered, his green eyes darkening._

 _Qrow chuckled, folding his arms. "Oh, I'll do it."_

" _I'll kill you." Roman fired back without a moment's hesitation, tone serious._

" _No, you won't," Qrow replied, not the least bit intimidated._

" _I'll try!"_

" _You'll fail."_

" _Hey!" Raven shouted, looking ready to beat them both senseless. "One of you start making sense! What happened to Ruby?"_

 _The two men continued staring at each other, Roman in a combination of threatening and pleading, while Qrow just eyed him calmly. A few seconds passed in tense silence, the two never breaking eye contact._

 _Then Qrow smirked._

" _Roman broke her leg."_

 _Roman had only a brief moment to slouch where he stood, giving Qrow a look of utter betrayal. Then the storm came._

" _WHAT!?"_

 _Flinching back a step, Roman cowered under the enraged glowing glare of Raven as the dark woman got right in his face. "Uh…"_

" _And he threw Yang off an elevated freeway," Qrow added helpfully._

 _Raven twirled around, mouth falling open as she looked to Qrow in disbelief. She rounded back on Roman, her fury doubled. "Roman!" She screeched, a hint of ozone filling the air as she clenched her fists._

 _If possible, Roman looked even more horrified at being so thoroughly sold out. "Qrow! What the hell, man?"_

 _Qrow just shrugged, not even trying to hide his enjoyment of Roman's plight. "Payback," he mouthed behind Raven's back._

 _Roman's glare promised future pain, but the furious Bandit Queen before him was a more immediate issue. In the hopes of staving off his quickly approaching demise, he quickly said, "Rea, c'mon! I knew they'd be okay!"_

 _Raven wasn't having any of it. "Did you!? Did you really!?"_

 _Roman cringed at the intensity of her shout, meekly replying, "Well… I figured they'd be okay..."_

" _ROMAN!"_

 _Back in the kitchen, Neo watched in morbid fascination as Roman was eviscerated by the stream of vitriol Raven loudly threw his way, her voice somehow growing rougher and shriller at the same time the longer she yelled. Roman just cowered under Raven's fury, his face a mask of defeat and resignation. Every few seconds, he'd shoot Qrow a glare of clear wrath. In answer, the older man pulled a flask from within his jacket, raised it to Roman in a toast, and knocked back a deep drink, his amused smirk never faltering as he watched the past replay itself._

 _As Neo watched the entire travesty go down, she couldn't help but mirror Roman with her drooping shoulders. She collapsed heavily into the ancient barstool at the kitchen counter, her head falling to the chipped marble with a dull_ thunk! _At her feet, Zwei looked up in confusion as the girl let out a near silent moan, a bologna sandwich held between his teeth._

* * *

Qrow smiled to himself as he rode the elevator up, mindful of the couple students in the lift eyeing him weirdly. It had been fun, watching Roman get chewed out like that. Like old times. The only thing that would have made it perfect was if Tai had been there to laugh with him… and if Summer had been there to put Roman's beratement in stereo.

He bit back a sigh as the elevator dinged, letting him off on the correct floor. Summer… that was a loaded thought. Even more so now than usual.

What the hell would she think of them right now? Stupid question, she'd be giving them all a chewing out that'd make Raven's rage seem like a child's tantrum.

Qrow tried to push the thought away. There would be time soon, _much_ too soon, where they'd all face just how badly they'd screwed up over the years, how disappointed Summer would be in them. For now, he had two nieces and their potentially star-crossed lovers to talk to.

The thought of Ruby and Yang's relationship made him chuckle. _Like Mothers, Like-Daughters. Just_ had _to go the most complicated route possible._

He smiled at the nostalgia. Then laughed as he heard the unmistakable sound of Ruby's giggling echo from the hall up ahead, quickly followed by Yang's own laughter and… a high pitch Winter?

 _Well, this could be entertaining._

* * *

Yang came to a screeching stop just before the dorm, barely stopping herself from ripping it from its hinges. She was briefly distracted by the yellow rose petals dancing around her (something she'd have to worry about later) but quickly focused on the dorm door. Hearing no yelling or barking, she slowly eased the door open, expecting the worse. What she saw took her panic… and quickly morphed it into bemusement.

In the center of the room sat Weiss, running her hand over Zwei's back as the happy corgi sat contently in her lap, his tail wagging. "Oh, who's a good boy?" She asked, in a high tone that would have been mocking if not for the honest look of joy on her face. Zwei lapped up the attention, rolling onto his back for belly rubs, which Weiss quickly acquiesced. "You are! Oh, yes, you are!"

Ruby sat on the edge of her bed, kicking her legs back and forth as she watched Weiss and Zwei, smiling widely. As for Blake…

"Blake, please come down," Ruby said, her tone making clear this was not the first time she'd asked.

Peering down over the edge of Yang's bed, Blake frowned at Ruby, her eyes narrowed at the ball of fur in Weiss lap as she crouched down defensively. "I'm just fine up here, thank you."

"Uh, what going on?" Yang asked, the door clicking shut behind her as she stepped in. As glad as she was that Blake and Zwei weren't going at it like… well, like cats and dogs, that didn't explain why Blake was perched on the edge of her bunk, looking clearly uncomfortable.

Ruby looked up with a beaming smile, just noticing her sisters arrival. "Zwei's here!"

Yang chuckled, her worries melting away fully. "I can see that." Noticing the blonde's arrival, Zwei's ears perked up as he turned towards her. He quickly scrambled out of Weiss's lap (much to the heiress' disappointment), running up to Yang and jumping. Yang caught him with practiced ease, giving him a gentle noogie as she grinned. "Hey, buddy. You keeping out of trouble?"

Zwei gave a quick bark of reply, reaching up to lick Yang on the cheek.

"Fantastic…" Blake grumbled from above, eyeing the corgi warily.

Yang looked up at her, cocking a brow. "Not a dog fan, Blake?"

Blake scowled lightly, looking more annoyed than angry. "No, I am not." Her voice came out low and calm, belaying the _Agitation_ they could all feel from her.

Yang gave a small chuckle at how serious she sounded. She sobered up quickly when she remembered why she rushed up to the dorm in the first place. She hesitated for a moment, trying to think if there was a proper way to word her thoughts, but then decided to just asked her question. "So… is this a cat thing, or…?"

At her words, Blake's gaze snapped from Zwei to Yang, her eyes narrowing even more. Yang cringed, figuring she'd been right and had just said something offensive, but was relieved when Blake merely huffed. Her _Exasperation_ was pretty clear, however, and they could all feel her trying to batten it down.

She swung herself around to sit cross-legged but made no move to get down from the bunk. "No, Yang, it's not a 'cat thing'. That's a very common, very _annoying_ misconception. Cat Faunus aren't any more scared of dogs then mouse Faunus are scared of cats."

Yang breathed a discreet sigh of relief. "Oh, okay. Sorry, I just kinda figured, 'cause you Felt scared over the Link…"

"Well, how would you feel if you just found some random dog hiding under your covers?" Everyone cringed at Blake's scathing tone, even Zwei pulling back as his ears flattened. Seeing and Feeling her Mates' surprise, Blake relented moments later, remorse clear in her eyes as her shoulders slumped. "Sorry, it's just... I'm not afraid of… _Zwei_ , or dogs in general. I'm just not fond of them. I can deal with them if I have no choice, but right now, I _have_ a choice, and I choose _no_."

Ruby pouted up at her. "He's not a bad dog," she said pitifully.

Blake met her eyes, and Yang stifled a laugh when she saw Blake jerk back in surprise. Ruby had her trademark pout in full effect, and no one had ever been strong enough to resist that look for long. And from her pained, frustrated expression, Blake wasn't an exception.

It also didn't help that Ruby's affection for Zwei, as well as her sadness at Blake not liking him, was being transmitted to the room in what might as well have been bright glowing neon.

"I… never said he was, Ruby." Blake defended weakly. "I just… I..." Even as she spoke, Ruby's eyes seemed to grow wider, her lips curving further down. Blake cringed under her gaze, her shoulders falling. She let out a defeated sigh, her ears pinning against her head as she turned back to Yang, her eyes lingering at Zwei staring up at her curiously. "I'm not getting out of this, am I?"

Again, Yang held back a laugh, figuring Blake wouldn't appreciate her laughing at her plight. "Well, you don't have to, but… Zwei _is_ our dog. If you're gonna be stuck with us, he's kind of part of a package deal."

Blake stared hard at her as if trying to will her words to be false. She heaved a heavy sigh of defeat, then swung her body off the bunk, turning with the motion to land on her own bed cross-legged.

Seeing that the elusive new person was now closer, Zwei's ears perked back up, panting as he wiggled and squirmed in Yang's arms, wanting to be let down. Yang shot Blake a curious look, Ruby and Weiss watching in interest and, in Ruby's case, hope. Blake's face screwed up in clear reluctance, but she gave a small nod.

Shrugging, Yang let Zwei go. The corgi pup shot across to room in an instant, so unexpectedly fast he startled Blake. He put his front paws up on the bed, standing on his hind legs as he stared up at Blake, panting in greeting.

Blake scootched back unconsciously, her shoulders tense. She looked back to Ruby, only to find the speedster staring back with stary, hopeful eyes. She huffed, looking back down at the corgi. "Hello… _Zwei_ ," she said with false cheer. Her only solace for doing so was the immense _Joy_ she felt from Ruby… which was tempered rather spectacularly by the _Humor_ she so clearly felt from Yang and Weiss both. Shooting them a weak glare, she slowly reached out, just barely far enough to reach Zwei. "Good...boy…?" She said awkwardly, giving Zwei a featherlight tap on the head before snatching her hand back.

Zwei stopped panting, cocking his head in confusion at the strange new person who smelled of nervousness and tuna. Still, headpats were headpats, and he was soon panting happily again, stubby tail wagging.

"Aww, he likes you!" Weiss said, her sentiment echoed by Ruby's beaming grin.

Blake gave them a weak smile. "Yeah… great," she said halfheartedly, just relieved that the dog might leave her alone now that she'd said hello.

"Yeah," Yang pipped in, with a grin of her own that was much too sly for Blake's tastes. "And _since_ he likes you, he's probably gonna follow you now. _Everywhere_."

Blake's smile vanished instantly, looking in exaggerated horror, first to Yang, then slowly to Zwei, who was still looking up at her with a dopey doggy grin. Her ears wilted in defeat. "Oh… _great…_ "

Ruby giggled lightly at her, mercifully coming over to pick Zwei up and away from Blake. "I'll try to keep an eye on him," she said, grinning sheepishly at her Faunus girlfriend.

Blake sighed in relief, mustering up an honest smile. "Thank you."

Ruby nodded to her, but then looked down at Zwei in confusion. "Though, I'd still like to know how he got here in the first place."

Yang perked up at that, realizing that in her rush, she hadn't told Ruby about Qrow yet. Grinning, she went to say...

" _Uh, that's my fault, actually._ "

Everyone jolted in surprise at the sudden gruff voice. All eyes turned towards the dorm door, Ruby's widening by the second.

From outside the door came a muffled question, sarcastic humor clear in the voice.

" _So, is the drama over yet, or should I come back later?_ "

Yang, Feeling Ruby's _Shock_ and _Surprise_ , turned to her sister with an amused smirk. "Guess who I bumped into today?"

Ruby stared at her for a moment in disbelief, then promptly dropped Zwei to the ground, blurring to the door. She flung it open so fast, a loud crack echoed through the room as it slammed off the wall.

Smoky red eyes looked down at her, Qrow giving her an easy-going grin. "What's up, kiddo?"

A beaming smile took over Ruby's face as she leapt up to hug the man around the neck. "Uncle Qrow!"

Unlike with Yang, Qrow barely responded to Ruby's hug, not so much as bending under her weight as his grin widened. Ruby didn't care in the slightest, her legs dangling as she hugged him tighter. Qrow just chuckled. "What, you miss me or somethin'?"

Ruby giggled, finally letting go. "What are you doing here?" Her smile quickly melted into a pout as a thought struck her. "Wait… Dad didn't send you to check on us, did he?"

At that, Qrow gave a true laugh. "Geez, you too? You kids need to have a little faith in us for our faith for _you_."

Ruby eyed him suspiciously for all of a second, before bouncing back to her usual chipper self. "Okay… then what's up? Oh, wait! Is it some kind of some kind of super secret mission Professor Ozpin needed you for? He needs you to fight a bunch of bad guys? Or clear out a massive bunch of Grimm?"

Qrow chuckled at her enthusiasm, though Yang noted something odd flash through his eyes. "Eh… nothing so adventurous, Ruby. It's actually a bit more… _personal_."

Ruby blinked at him. "Personal?"

Qrow shrugged. "We'll get to it in a second. First off, mind introducing me to the girls who are clearly wondering who the hell the scruffy guy in their doorway is?"

At that, Ruby and Yang turned to face their Mates, who, sure enough, were looking at Qrow in utter confusion, both looking a little wary of the newcomer.

"Oh! Sorry!" Ruby zoomed across the room, standing part way between her girlfriends. Qrow followed her in, the door clicking shut behind him.

"Qrow, these are our teammates, Weiss and Blake," Ruby said brightly, gesturing to each with a large wave of her arm. She then shot them both a bright smile as he did the same to Qrow. "Girls, this is me and Yang's uncle Qrow!"

Seeing (and ignoring) the two's befuddlement, Qrow gave them a lazy salute, flashing a smirk that was eerily similar to Yang's. "A pleasure, ladies."

There was an awkward moment where neither Blake nor Weiss moved, both struck dumb by the unexpected arrival of Ruby and Yang's family. It didn't help that Blake's enhanced nose quickly picked up the ingrained scent of alcohol that wafted off the man. Both girls quickly shook off their shock, shooting each other a glance that echoed their thoughts.

Giving a kind small smile, Weiss took a quick step forward, holding her hand out in greeting. "Nice to meet you, sir. I am Weiss Schnee, Ruby's partner."

Qrow curved a brow at her, glancing at her outstretched hand. He smirked, grasping it to shake. "Same. You're Winter's little sister, right?"

Weis gave a small jerk of surprise. "You know my sister?"

Again, Qrow had that Yang-slike smirk. "Eh, we've worked together a few times. Feel free to ask her about me sometime. I'm sure she'll tell you a few… _stories._ "

Weiss blinked, not sure how to take that.

Blake walked up then (Zwei sniffing at her heels, much to her irritation), doing the same as Weiss had. "Blake Belladonna, sir."

Again, Qrow couldn't help but smirk as he shook her hand. "Belladonna, huh? Don't suppose there's any relation to Ghira Belladonna, is there?"

Blake jolted in surprise, unsure how to respond. A quick glance towards Ruby and Yang, the two sending her encouraging nods and feelings of _Trust_ and _Love_ towards Qrow, gave her enough assurance to respond. "My father, sir."

Qrow nodded, as if already knowing that would be her answer. He slowly looked between Blake and Weiss, his eyes thoughtful. Then he chuckled. "The future SDC CEO _and_ the Future Chieftess of Menagerie." He turned away from their stunned faces, Blake looking particularly gobsmacked, and smirked towards his youngest niece. "One hell of a team you got here, Ruby. Hell, might even beat out mine."

Ruby blushed under his praise, kicking at the ground bashfully. "Oh, I don't know…"

Yang smacked her lightly on the shoulder, the look in her eye all that was needed for Ruby to get the message: _stop being so hard on yourself._ Yang waited until Ruby gave her a nod of acceptance (albeit with an unappreciated eye-roll) before turning her attention back to Qrow. "She's doing a great job as Team Leader."

"Good to know. Although… odd choice of team bonding."

At once, Yang stiffened and Ruby blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Qrow shrugged. "Oh, y'know. Some teams wear matching clothes or matching emblems, but you four…" He raised a brow at the young leader. "Matching tattoos? Interesting. _Very_ interesting."

Ruby stiffened as well, head snapping towards Yang, the blonde already looking at her in resigned dread. Her silver eyes widened in panic, both girls freezing up with indecision.

Blake felt a twinge in her chest at their _Worry_ and _Panic_. The last thing she wanted was for their Mating to cause problems between the sisters and their family. She was about to say something to Qrow, to try and explain away what the 'tattoos' really were… only to find Qrow already looking at her.

He held her amber gaze for a moment, his face oddly blank save the quirk of his lips. Then, to her shock, he winked at her.

It took a moment for her to process what just happened, Qrow already turned back to face the panicking sisters. _Does… does he already know?_

Eventually, Yang broke the panicky tension the best way she knew how: by completely pushing past the whole subject. "So, Qrow! What brings you to Beacon? You said something about talking to Professor Ozpin?"

Qrow fixed both her and Ruby with a flat stare, making clear that he was not ignoring, nor would be forgetting, how blatantly they were avoiding the current topic. With a roll of his eyes, he answered Yang. "I just popped in with him briefly to chat. The reason I'm here… well…" At this, his tone grew a little hesitant, as if uncomfortable with his words. "That's, uh, kind of complicated."

Yang and Ruby frowned, glancing at each other in confusion. The'd known Qrow to act oddly at times, but they'd never seen him nervous. "How complicated?" Yang asked.

"Uh… very?" Qrow said with a sheepish shrug. Seeing their worried looks, he sighed. "Look, girls. I really wish this was just a social call, but… well, I got thrown one hell of a curveball last night. Or, rather, a couple dozen curveballs." He chuckled nervously, rubbing the side of his head slightly. "Even got the bruises to show for it..."

"Are you okay, Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked, Yang following up with, "You in some kind of trouble?"

Qrow looked between them, a light smirk working its way back onto his face. "Well.. a little bit of both, honestly. See, I got a call last night, and…" He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh, how do I say this?"

Getting a little annoyed by his reluctance, Ruby tried to ease an answer from Qrow. "C'mon, Uncle Qrow, you can tell us. Is it something bad?"

Qrow made a sound like a cross between a hum and a groan. "Not… _bad_ , really. Just really, really awkward."

Yang snorted. "Yeah, 'cause we haven't had to deal with 'awkward' before. Just tell us, we can handle anything."

Qrow paused from his thinking, looking hard at Yang. His gaze slowly tracked to Ruby and back again, taking in their determined faces. He looked up at the ceiling, his lips curled down in a thoughtful frown. "Anything, huh?"

Ruby and Yang each gave a sharp nod. "Anything," Ruby confirmed.

A full minute passed as Qrow stared up at the ceiling, his eyes darting back and forth slightly as he considered. Just when Yang felt her patience wearing thin, he nodded to himself.

"... alright then. Yang," He dipped his head back down, locking his smoky red eyes with Yang's amethyst. Without any hesitation in his voice, he continued. "Your mother called me last night."

All at once, the feel of the room changed. Any humor or bravado in Yang's expression fled, her face falling to pure shock. Ruby wasn't too far behind, her silver eyes shooting wide, he irises retreating down to pinpricks. Across the room, Weiss and Blake, having faded to the back of the dorm so-as to let the family talk, shivered as a slew of conflicting emotions surged over them, the jumbled mess of feelings almost overwhelming them. Even Zwei could sense something was wrong from his place in Weiss' arms, his ears pinning back in concern.

"Y-You… you spoke to Raven?" Yang stuttered out, her voice shaky, a pale reflection of her usual boisterous tones.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Qrow nodded, his lips pulling into a tight line. "Yep."

Beside her sister, Ruby kept looking between Yang and Qrow, at a complete loss as to what to do, what to say. She swallowed thickly as she Felt Yang's emotions start to stabilize, _Anger_ , _Frustration_ , and _Longing_ bubbling to the surface.

Yang's lips curved into a frown as the emotion built in her chest, a sharp question on the tip of her tongue...

"She wants to talk to you."

All of Yang's emotions snuffed themselves out in an instant. She stared at Qrow in complete disbelief, her mouth hanging open as he looked at her, his face serious even as she could see the sympathy in his eyes, even if she could barely acknowledge it. Yang's voice came out as barely a breath.

"...what?"

* * *

 **A/n: Ohh, boy. Getting closer and closer to my last big AU curveball (at least regarding RWBY's established history), and geez, is it starting to mess with my head. Yes, I know a lot of you have said you're totally fine with me changing whatever I want and I'm very thankful for all your kind words, but this damn thing is going to haunt me until it's done and posted.**

 **Hope I did Blake and Zwei's interactions okay. Didn't want to go the typical 'cat scared of dog' route, but I still wanted to have that bit of animosity clearly shown in the show proper, at least for the moment.**

 **Next chapter: The flashback continues, Qrow tries to explain (keyword being 'tries'), and Yang and Ruby try to explain their messed up family situation to Blake and Weiss (again, 'try').**

.


	56. Chapter 56: Are Berated Together

**Chapter 56: ...Are Berated Together**

 **The Previous Night**

" _Roman, you utter bastard! You planned this!"_

 _Qrow watched from the couch as Raven screamed in Roman's face, her eyes blazing. He let out a sigh, contemplating taking a swig from his flask. He decided against it, figuring he'd have greater need for a drink very soon. With a grunt, he put his arms behind his head and put his feet up on the coffee table, content to just watch the show. The girl sitting next to him, Neo, Roman had said, eyed him warily, even as she scratched the ears of the happy corgi panting in her lap._

 _Ten minutes. They'd actually managed a whole ten minutes before a fight broke out. That had to be a record. And, of course, it was all his fault. After hearing the whole story, from Roman's first fateful encounter with Ruby to his enlightening conversation with an enraged Adam Taurus, Qrow just had to blurt out the one question that would piss Raven off:_

" _Don't you two think we should tell the girls about this?"_

 _Roman just stared back evenly, the glint in his eyes clearly showing that on the inside, he was laughing his head off. "Me? Plan this? Oh, no, I'd_ never _do such a thing." he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Then he grinned cheekily. "Though, I did kind of hope."_

 _Raven let out an inhuman growl, her arms coming up and her fingers twitching like she was going to start strangling Roman any second. "It's not the right time! We're going to tell them-"_

" _On Red's 16th birthday, blah, blah, blah. Yeah, you told me already. But, newsflash, Rea: if we can't manage to take down Taurus, she ain't going to live that long!"_

 _Raven growled incoherently, too absorbed by anger and a myriad of other emotions to vocalize her frustrations. Before she got the chance to let her fists talk for her, Qrow chose to jump back into the conversation. "You really think Taurus would be that hard for us to beat?"_

 _It took a moment for Roman to tear his gaze away from Raven, letting out a frustrated sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "By himself, probably not," he admitted to Qrow. "He's strong, fast, and just about the most brutal guy I've ever met. I've also heard rumors that, whatever his Semblance is, it makes sure that anyone he puts down_ stays _down. But working together, we could probably take him, especially if we have Musclehead with us._

" _The problem is, the bullheaded asshole is never alone. He's always got at least a few guys with him, not to mention that Lieutenant of his. The guy's practically attached to Taurus' hip, and he's nearly as crazy and mean and Taurus is. And that's if we manage to get him somewhere secluded. All his guys have earpieces. The second we start something, we're going to have dozens and dozens of pissed off Faunus after our asses."_

 _Raven grit her teeth as she seethed. "You told me we could handle it."_

 _Roman threw his hands out flippantly. "I lied. It's what I do." At her enraged snarl, He raised his voice. "Come on, Rae, I know you. If I just flat out said, 'we can't do this by ourselves, we need all the help we can get,' you would have kicked my ass on principle and gone out to kill Taurus by yourself. Sorry, I already lost one sister, I ain't losing the other!"_

 _Whatever comeback Raven had caught in her throat, her rage cutting out with a blink. She eyed Roman curiously, her features softening slightly. Roman blinked in confusion at her until his own words registered. He looked away for a moment, scowling to himself before speaking again, his tone much quieter than before._

" _Taurus has an army. A lot are just kids off the street, but a good chunk of them have Hunter training. Academy dropouts, ex-military, home-schooled prodigies. And they're all wearing identical masks and armor, so you can't tell who's a highly trained killer and who's just a dumb kid with a gun and delusions of grandeur. Frankly, I ain't sure which is scarier. They've got the most advanced and dangerous weaponry on the market- I know, I gave it to them-"_

 _Qrow suddenly perked up, his eyes narrowing. "You what?"_

 _Roman waved him off without a thought. "They had the money, I had the means, yell at me later. Point is, Taurus has all that, and has it all laser-focused on his ex and her girlfriends, i.e., your kids," He fixed Raven with a hard stare, which she met stubbornly. "And on our side we have… us." He held his arms out wide to the room at large, head swiveling mockingly to the other three people in the room. "A missing mom, a drunk uncle, and a soon-to-be-unemployed conman. That's it. Yeah, we're going to do_ great _." Out the corner of his eye, he caught Neo glaring at him. "Yes, I know you're helping too. I'm trying to make a point here!"_

 _Qrow put a hand to his head, a headache forming the longer Roman talked. He glanced to the side, seeing Raven still glaring stubbornly at Roman, arms crossed and jaw set. Since she obviously wasn't in a talking mood, Qrow decided to ask what he knew Raven was thinking. "Not that I'm adverse to the idea, but how would telling the girls help any of that?"_

 _Roman rolled his eyes, speaking slowly as if to a child. "We. Could._ Coordinate with them. _Maybe they're kitty cat girlfriend has some info on Taurus that I don't. They'll get a heads up that someone's trying to kill them and could prepare. Hell, maybe we could even fall back on my old plan and just send them back to Patch for a while. All shit that, in normal circumstances, I know at least you would have done already, Qrow." Then he chuckled, a hint of frustrated mania in his voice. "But, we can't_ do _that, because if those girls are half as stubborn as we were at that age, they'll throw themselves straight into the damn fight. At which point they're going to wonder where the hell_ you _came from." He gave Raven a pointed stare. "You want that moment to happen on the battlefield, or somewhere where you_ may _have some semblance of control over the situation?"_

 _Still, Raven didn't respond, save from breaking eye contact with Roman. Her silence made Qrow uneasy. Raven was never one to mince words, always saying exactly what she was thinking. But for her to be so silent now, coupled with the clear unease in her eyes, something was obviously eating at her._

 _With a deep breath, Qrow spoke slowly._ " _Raven, much as I hate to admit it, he's not wrong."_

 _There was a jolt of surprise that went throughout the room, both Raven and Roman turning to him in shock. Roman recovered quickly, a smug smile forming on his lips. "Aw, why thank you, Bird Brain."_

 _Qrow shot him a glare. "Don't push it, Roman." As Roman backed off, still grinning, Qrow hauled himself off the couch, moving to be in front of Raven, who was looking at him like he'd just said he'd given up drinking. "Raven, the longer we keep this going, the harder it's going to be to tell them. We were already going to tell them on Ruby's birthday. We just do it a couple months early."_

 _Raven scowled at him, though Qrow noted that there was very little fire left in her eyes. "You know it's not that simple." She shook her head, glaring at the ground. "And what about Taiyang? You think he's going to be okay laying everything out like this?"_

 _At that, Qrow couldn't help but snort. "Honestly, he'll probably just be happy to get it over with. He's been tearing himself apart over this whole mess, ever since you finally let us set a date to sit the girls down. He's convinced Ruby is going to hate him, and it's killing him." His eyes hardened. "He's_ still _doing it, Raven. Just because he doesn't like it doesn't mean it's not the right thing to do."_

 _As Raven tried to glare a hole through the floor, Roman looked between the two, his eyes calculating. "Y'know… I was joking before, but… are you guys really that scared of a couple teenagers?" He let out a bark of incredulous laughter when they just glared at him. " Seriously? What the heck you think they're going to do, disown you?"_

 _Raven glowered at him, officially done with his flippant attitude. "Are_ you _serious, Roman? Once they know the truth, that they've been lied to for so long..." She looked down slightly, an uncomfortable look on her face. "I wouldn't be surprised if they_ did _hate us."_

 _Qrow winced at the thought. He tried to put himself in Yang's shoes, and even knowing the whole story like he did… well, given Yang's temper, there was no question how she would react. And Ruby..._

 _To the utter irritation of them both, Roman just scoffed. "Oh,_ please _. They're_ teenagers _. They don't even know what hate_ is _yet."_

 _Qrow couldn't help but fire back in irritation. "So, what, you don't think they'll be angry over all this?"_

 _Roman rolled his eyes, looking at Qrow like he'd just pulled the lamest joke ever. "Of_ course _they will! They're hormonal teenage girls who punch and slash monsters for a living. They're gonna be pissed!" As Roman kept speaking, his voice grew more passionate, gesticulating with his arms as he spoke. "They're gonna yell, they're gonna scream. Hell, they might even throw a punch at ya. But you know what? After the inevitable screamfest they're gonna put you through is over and everyone's calmed down, you know what you can do then? You can deal with it, like gods-damned adults!"_

 _Suddenly, Roman froze, his arms hovering above his head in mid-gesture. A look of horror overtook his face as he realized what he was saying. "Good Gods, I'm turning into Summer! What nightmare am I in where_ I'm _somehow the most responsible one in the room?" He shuddered at his own words. "Gah, I need a drink." Roman threw his hands up in frustration, stomping over to the kitchen._

 _From the couch, Neo watched Roman with concerned eyes, holding Zwei up against her chest like a stuffed animal. The corgi let out a soft whine, not liking the feel of the room._

 _The siblings watched Roman walk away, neither sure how to break the stunned silence in the room. As it stretched on, getting more awkward by the second, Qrow groaned. "How bad did we screw up that_ Roman _is making sense?"_

 _Raven shot him another glare, but there was little heat in it. She folded her arms, her eyes darting back and forth across the carpet. Then she groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose as her eyes slid shut._

 _Minutes ticked by, the silence only broken by the tinkling of glasses as Roman shuffled around the kitchen in search of a proper drink._

 _Then, her eyes still closed, Raven let out a long, heavy sigh. Her voice was filled with frustration, resignation and… when Qrow thought about it later… a hint of desperation._

" _What do I even say to them?"_

 _Pulled from his own musings, Qrow slowly turned towards her, eyes widening as he registered her words. Deep in his soul, a spark of forgotten hope flickered. "I'm not sure… but it's not like keeping quiet will make them like you more." Raven grunted in response to his pathetic joke. With no other ideas to go off of, Qrow played his final trump card, his Hail Mary. Something that would either get through to Raven, or was guaranteed to piss her off so much that they wouldn't see her for at least another couple years._

 _He met her eyes, speaking softly but firmly. "Summer would want this."_

 _Raven slowly looked up, her eyes flashing dangerously._

 _Qrow stared back evenly, challenging._

" _..."_

" _..."_

" _...dammit…"_

 _Qrow blinked as Raven hung her head. She spun on her heel, scowling fiercely as she marched over to stare out the window, the Vale lights just starting to flicker on as the sun started its descent over the horizon. He smirked as he turned around, pulling out his scroll as he went to join Roman in the kitchen. "I'll call Taiyang."_

 _Raven's silence spoke volumes._

* * *

 **Present, RWBY Dorm**

The silence in the room was deafening, oppressive tension blanketing the dorm. Ruby looked between her uncle and her sister, at a complete loss of what to do, what to say. Weiss and Blake watched on off to the side, neither understanding what was going on, but both shocked by the confusing myriad of emotions swirling within Yang. Zwei, sensing his human's distress, waddled up to Yang at sat at her heels, looking up at her in concern.

Yang stared at Qrow with wide eyes, her voice trembling. "Raven… she wants to talk to me?"

Qrow gave a slow nod. "Yep."

"...really?"

Despite himself, Qrow's lips twitched upwards. "Really really."

For a brief moment, a smile crossed Yang's lips, fragile and tentative. It sent a pang through Qrow's chest as, just for a moment, he was reminded of a much younger Yang looking up at him with that same innocent look.

The smile vanished in an instant, all of Yang's questions and doubts flooding back. "Why does she want to talk to me?" Doubt was swept away by anger, darker emotions bubbling beneath the surface. "Why now? Where has she been? Where is she!?"

Qrow grimaced as her voice rose, putting his hands up in a calming gesture. "Yang! Calm down and let me explain."

Yang's eyes flashed red, and Qrow tried not to wince at his latest screw-up. Telling Yang to calm down was the guaranteed way to ensure she would _not_ calm down.

"Don't tell me to calm down!"

Case and point.

Before Yang could launch into her building tirade, however, cool feelings of _Calm, Confusion, Worry_ blanketed her mind, holding her tongue. A hand pressed against her shoulder, Blake slowly coming into view.

"Yang?" She asked. "Why are you upset? Isn't this a… good thing?"

It was the hesitance in her voice that cleared Yang's mind, if only slightly. Flashes of watching Blake worry over her own parents came to mind, and the Confusion coming off the Faunus made more sense.

Yang forced herself to calm, not fully succeeding given that, though her eyes were still lavender, the ever familiar burning sensation was slowly building behind them. She met Blake's eyes, glancing towards Weiss as well, who had moved next to Ruby. Their eyes reflected their emotions perfectly, questions burning within.

Yang took a long, deep breath, the air around her nose shimmering as she let it out. "You both remember what we told you about Ruby and I's moms?"

Her girlfriends shared a look, both noticing the sad, resigned expression on Ruby's face as she watched her sister. After a moment, Blake quietly answered, "Yours left."

"Yeah," Yang confirmed, nodding sharply. "Ruby's mom, Summer, had to raise me because my mom _Raven_ took off when I was a baby."

As Yang said this, Weiss noted in odd look come over Qrow's face, his mouth opening to say something, before he snapped it shut with a slight grimace. She almost said something, but the pure _Turmoil_ coming from Yang held her tongue.

"I never knew her," Yang went on, not looking anyone in the eye for fear of seeing their pity, ignoring her mind telling her that she'd Feel it before she saw it. Her voice grew bitter as she went on. "I didn't even know I had a different mom until Summer was… gone. Hell, if it wasn't of that, I probably never would have known."

"Don't be so sure," Qrow muttered under his breath, too low for anyone to here… well, anyone without cat-ears that is. Blake looked at him in question, but his dark, even stare kept her from speaking.

Unaware, Yang said, "I've been trying to figure out where she is, hell, _who_ she is, since I was five. And all I've got to show for it is one damn picture."

That surprised everyone in the room, sans Ruby. Qrow jumped a little in surprise, though no one noticed, all eyes focused on Yang. "A picture?" Weiss asked.

Yang blinked at her, then ducked her head nervously. As she tried to think of what to say, she felt a hand slip into her own. She looked up to meet concerned silver eyes.

"Yang… show them."

Yang held Ruby's gaze, contemplating, before looking between Weiss and Blake. Her shoulders slumped in defeat as she reached into her jacket, pulling out the old folded photo, crumpled with age. She handed it wordlessly to Weiss.

Weiss paused as she held the folded photo, glancing towards Blake. The Feelings Yang had about it… _Happiness, Longing, Frustration… Shame?_ Blake could only shrug helplessly, moving to her side as the heiress unfolded the picture.

A few tense seconds ticked by as the pair analyzed the people in the photo, a beautiful dark haired woman smiling softly at the blonde haired baby girl in her arms. Yang watched them anxiously, for reasons she wasn't even sure of.

Blake slowly looked up from the photo, her brow raised. Then, she smirked. "You were a cute kid."

The statement was so odd and out of nowhere that it startled a laugh out of Yang. Some of her tension bled away when Blake's grin widened, even more so when Weiss gave a slight giggle. Ruby breathed a sigh of relief as Yang's frustration faded, if only for the moment.

Biting her lip to stop laughing, Yang said, "Gee, thanks." Her small smile quickly faded, but she felt a little calmer than before as she went on. "That's the only picture I have of us together. I don't even know what she's like or why she really left." She shot a harsh glare towards Qrow, before forcing her gaze back to her girlfriends. "Dad and Qrow refuse to tell me anything about her, no matter how many times I asked why she left us or where she was-"

"Mistral."

Qrow's rough voice hit Yang like a punch to the gut, her every thought coming to a screeching halt. Her head snapped to the side, eyes wide with shock. "What?"

Qrow didn't answer. In fact, he didn't even look her way, his eyes having been locked on the photo in Blake's hands since it had appeared. "Can I see that?" He asked, holding his hand out towards Weiss.

Weiss started a little, instinctively pulling the photo closer to herself. She looked at Yang, silently asking what she should do. It took a moment for Yang to break her stunned gaze away from Qrow, glancing only briefly to Weiss, giving a weak nod. Trying to ignore the tension slowly building between the two, Weiss handed the picture over.

Qrow held the photo in both hands, staring down at it with an odd look, almost… wistful? He gently ran his thumb across the creased paper, turned fragile with age. "Where did you find this?" He asked quietly, not sounding angry or accusing, just genuinely curious.

Yang's eyes narrowed, darting between him in the photo. "I found it in the guest room, under an old dresser."

Qrow quickly looked up at her, something flashing through his eyes. "I'm surprised you never said anything."

Yang scowled at him. "Why would I? Every time I asked about Raven, you and Dad just shot me down. I thought…" She paused when she felt Ruby's eyes on her, begging her through the Link to stay calm. She tore her gaze away from Qrow, looking down at the ground as she admitted, her tone managing to sound both guilty and suspicious, "I was afraid you would take it from me."

Qrow said nothing in response, staring at Yang for a long moment before looking back down at the photo.

His silence seemed to pour fuel on Yang's fire, her ire raising and she demanded answers. "Why was she in Mistral?"

It was a long time before Qrow looked away from the photo, almost half a minute. When he did, he held the photo back out to Yang, who quickly took it and hid it back within her jacket. They just stared at each other, before Qrow answered "It's where she and I grew up, before we came to Beacon. When Raven had to leave, she went back to where she had some roots."

"'Had to leave'?" Yang echoed back, looking just as perplexed as she was frustrated. Ruby, surprisingly, perked up, her eyes growing wide. To Blake and Weiss's confusion, a spark of _Hope_ flickered out from her. Yang shot her sister a sharp look, before going back to Qrow only slightly calmer. "What do you mean she ' _had'_ to leave?"

Qrow let out of slow breath. "That's… not something I can explain on my own. Raven wants to give you that story herself."

Judging from the look on her face, Yang was far from placated. Before she could ask another desperation-filled question, Ruby butted in by saying, "I didn't know you grew up in Mistral."

Qrow couldn't help but grin at her. Though the question was genuine, there was no missing the nervousness in Ruby's eyes. He had to give her credit, trying to change the subject and distract Yang… but much as he hated to admit it, there was no more putting anything off. With sympathy in his eyes, Qrow answered, "There's a lot you don't know, kiddo. But, after tomorrow… well, hopefully everything will be cleared up."

"But why tomorrow?" Yang burst out, taking a step towards Qrow. Her teammates jolted at the sudden spike of _Agitation_ and _Desperateness_ shooting across the Link. Blake and Weiss shared a startled look, Blake putting a hand on Yang's shoulder in concern, though the frustrated blonde didn't notice. Ruby, however, could only watch Yang carefully, her face full of pain and sympathy.

Qrow let out a sigh. "Yang, Raven-"

"She's in the city, right?" Yang cut him off, taking a step forward. With her every word, the temperature in the room seem to raise as her hair started to glow, her eyes tinting. "She has to be if we can get to her by tomorrow. So why can't we talk today? Wh-Why do I have to wait?"

"Yang, please, just...relax." Qrow swapped his wording at the last second, but his intention was all too clear to the enraged brawler.

Yang felt like she was going to explode, all her tension and frustration and a million other things building in her chest. So close, she was so close! Her breathing grew heavy, her fist clenching so tightly her gloves were on the brink of tearing. Her eyes blazed red, her hair glowing…

A small hand pressed into the small of her back. Yang's head snapped downward, giving the full force of her enraged glare to whoever was foolish enough to touch her.

Calming pools of silver stared back, hardened with determination.

 _Calm. Sympathy. Worry. Love. Understanding._

Ruby's emotions washed over her, the innocent calm battling against the inferno within her. Ruby just held her stare unflinchingly, unafraid of the intense rage being leveled at her.

Slowly, agonizingly slowly, Yang felt her rage fade. Oh, it wasn't gone, not by a longshot. But as Ruby held her gaze, the anger and frustration slowly receded, her hair and eyes returning to normal as the inferno wound down to a contained simmer. The loss of that righteous anger left Yang feeling drained, breaking eye contact with Ruby to stare at the floor.

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't been sure if calming Yang was even possible, but she'd still had to try. Seeing that Yang wasn't in any shape to keep talking, she turned to Qrow, rubbing soothing circles in Yang's back. Qrow stared back at both of them, his eyes filled with sympathy and… nostalgia?

"When does Raven want to see Yang?"

"Tomorrow, around noon." Qrow smiled a little, impressed by how Ruby took charge. "And not just her. She wants to meet you too."

Ruby jolted in surprise, Yang looking up as well, surprised and confused. "Why does she want to see me?" Ruby asked.

Qrow hesitated, looking like he wanted to say something. "Again… not really my place to say. Look, girls…" He paused, looking between the two of them. For a crazy moment, Ruby almost thought he looked… guilty.

Suddenly, Qrow let out a frustrated sigh, scowling to himself. "Oh, screw it," He muttered under his breath. He crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall. He was silent for a full minute, is brow scrunched in thought. When he met their gaze again, they were surprised by the hard gleam in his eyes.

"Girls, I'm going to be honest with you." The sheer intensity in his gaze, so unfamiliar from their easy-going uncle, stopped either sister from responding. "Tomorrow ain't just going to be about Yang meeting her mother. Tai and I will be there too. That's why we're doing this tomorrow. Your father and Raven- and myself, once I get back to them- we're trying to work out exactly what we need to cover." He paused, and for a moment, his eyes dimmed with exhaustion and dread. "We… have a lot we need to explain. To both of you."

Seconds ticked by as Ruby tried to adjust to both the tonal shift and this strange, tired old man who had replaced her usually aloof and laid-back uncle. Finally, she asked, "What do you need to explain?"

Qrow stared at her, then gave a humorless chuckle. "In short? Everything."

Yang let out of low snort. "That's encouraging…" she muttered under her breath.

Qrow let out a huff of a laugh. "Yeah, I know how it sounds. Like you said, Yang, we've been keeping tight-lipped for… quite a while. Now that we're coming clean… it feels like I'm trying to break a bad habit… with a sledgehammer."

At that, Weiss couldn't help but ask, with an utterly baffled look, "How does that even…?"

Without missing a beat, Qrow said, "Because I'm doing it fast, blunt, and probably making a mess of things while I'm at it."

Weiss's cheeks tinted at being answered so bluntly, causing Ruby to give a slight giggle. Yang managed a slight smile, but still looked troubled, her thoughts jumbled.

Seeing this, Qrow put his hand on Yang's shoulder, giving her a soft shake. "Hey. You managed to wait this long. Just one more day." He gave what he hoped was a comforting grin. "Okay?"

Yang met his eyes, still hesitant. She swallowed before asking, "She'll actually be there?"

Qrow frowned at just how small Yang sounded, at the doubt that was being aimed his way. He racked his brain, trying to think of what he could do to earn back her trust. He glanced around the room, his eyes briefly landing on Ruby. An idea struck him, one that made him smirk. "Tell you what," he said as he reached for the strap going across his chest. He pulled at the worn leather and ducked his head, removing his sword, sheath and all, from his back. Without hesitation, he held it straight out towards Yang. "Take it."

Yang jerk back in surprise, looking between her uncle and his prized weapon, stunned by the sudden demand. However, it was Ruby who had the strongest reaction.

"What!?"

Qrow shot Ruby a brief glance, grinning at her flabbergasted look, before turning back to Yang, who was staring at the sword in complete confusion. "Think of it as... collateral. You can give it back to me when you see Raven tomorrow. She ain't there, it's yours. Keep It, smash it, sell it to the highest bidder; I don't care."

Ruby let out a high-pitch squawk, looking absolutely horrified between the blade and her family. "But…!" She started stuttering. "Butbutbut…!"

Much as he wanted to watch her mini-meltdown, Qrow kept his eyes on Yang, watching her face as a dozen emotions flicked across it. He kept his arm out, the blade completely still in his grip.

Something suddenly sparked in Yang's eyes as she slowly looked up from the sword to meet Qrow's. Her voice was quiet, near silent with fragile hope. "... She's really going to be there… isn't she?"

Qrow gave her tender smile, all his humor bleeding away into pure care. "She will be, little dragon. I promise."

Yang held his gaze, trying to sort out all her thoughts and feelings. After almost a full minute, she took a calming breath… then put on her usual smirk.

"Alright," she said with a small nod. Then her arm jabbed out, snatching the sword out of Qrow's extended hand. "Then I'll just hold on to this for a while."

Qrow smirked back, crossing his arms loosely. "That's cool. I expect it polished and sharpened when I get it back."

Yang snorted as she smirked back, waving her newly-acquired blade flippantly in his face. "Yeah, keep dreaming."

Ruby watch the entire exchange with mounting horror, finally jumping forward when Yang waved the blade a little too hard, it making a loud clacking sound as it slid a bit out of the sheath. "Yang, don't just wave that around! You've got to be careful with her!"

Yang blinked at her nervous tone, briefly meeting Qrow's eyes. A sly smirk crossed both their lips. "Lighten up, Ruby," she said in a too-happy tone. "It's just a sword."

Ruby's mouth fell open, her face twisted into a betrayed expression usually reserved for hearing family insulted. "Harbinger is not 'just a sword!' Qrow's had her since he built her when he was our age! I used her as the base for Crescent Rose! She's like Crescent Rose's mama! How can you…"

"Aaaand, she's off," Weiss mutter to Blake, shaking her head in amused exasperation. Blake nodded back, trying to stifle a laugh as Yang calmly questioned how a weapon could have a mother, her amused smirk never wavering. Ruby, in turn, rapidly explained, her voice growing louder with every word. As the two got louder and more animated, Zwei jumped up from where he lay, tail wagging as her bounced around their heels, wanting to join in the apparent excitement.

Qrow watched with a smile as the sisters started bickering, just as they always had growing up. He glanced briefly at Blake and Weiss, catching sight of the exasperated but kind smiles they had watching the two. He grinned wider. He didn't need any pseudo-psychic empath power to know that, despite Ruby's annoyed shouts and Yang's egging, there was a sense of trust and relief between the two sisters, one he knew all too well… and missed deeply.

Qrow was no fool. Tomorrow was going to be a disaster. How could it be anything but? But maybe, just maybe, after the punches were thrown and the tears were shed… Yang and Ruby were strong. They each had the best traits of their mothers, and now had two caring powerful girls of their own in their corner. No matter what happened the next day… maybe they'd all be okay.

Hey… he'd seen weirder things happen.

* * *

 **A/n: Well, I bet you all can't wait to get to the big talk, eh?... Well, get ready to hate me then. One more chapter before our favorite sisters have a sit-down with Raven. It's back to the high seas to check on Ilia and the Belladonnas. Riveting, I know. Though, there might be a little something that will make it worth it… how close is that ship to Vale again?**

 **See ya later!**


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